


Across the universes

by SyzygyDreamland



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Swan Queen Week Summer 2017 (Once Upon a Time), Swan Queen Week Winter 2015 (Once Upon a Time), Swan Queen Week Winter 2017 (Once Upon a Time)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-12
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-18 20:00:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 22,271
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29374248
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SyzygyDreamland/pseuds/SyzygyDreamland
Summary: "Limitless undying love which shines around me like a million suns..." A collection of AU SwanQueen one-shots. Fluff, romance, team moms... and lots of happy endings!
Relationships: Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Emma Swan
Kudos: 29





	1. Binky

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome, lovely readers! I was going through my Fanfiction.net account and decided to move some of my old fanfictions over to AO3 while I brush up on the new works I hope to publish soon. These stories were initially published between January 2015 and July 2017. They're all AU, with one constant : Regina and Emma being endgame and True Loves. I might addnew chapters at some point, if inspiration strikes... but in the meanwhile, happy reading!
> 
> Disclaimer : the characters and the show are not mine; I'm not making any profit, I just have fun putting together these little stories :) The quote in the story summary is from the Beatles' song "Across the universe".

_No-curse and and meet cute AU. Originally posted as part of the Swan Queen Week of Winter 2015. Enjoy!_

* * *

Regina didn't dare to move an inch. It had taken her son Henry hours to fall asleep in her arms, and she wasn't about to risk waking him up now. It didn't matter that she was in the most uncomfortable position ever and couldn't even see what time it was.

The previous evening had been difficult, to say the least. They had just returned from a little trip to Boston in the afternoon, and everything had gone smoothly until it was time for bed. Henry was fed and bathed, in his pajamas, ready for his story and goodnight kisses. Regina was about to ask him to pick a story when she heard him cry out for her. She had immediately rushed to his side, her heart breaking instantly as he sobbed out the words "Binky's gone". The rest of the evening had been nothing but a downwards spiral of tears and cries, mainly from the three-year-old (Regina had to admit that she'd cried, too).

Henry had eventually fallen asleep in his mother's arms, well past midnight. Regina had never imagined that losing Binky, his favorite stuffed rabbit, would have such an impact on Henry. Her son was usually happy and joyful, no matter what. He had been a fussy baby at first, but this had soon changed. That's why Regina had been so taken aback by the full-blown tantrum she had just witnessed.

A part of her felt incredibly guilty for Binky's disappearance. She should have double checked that they were not forgetting anything in the hotel room. Now her son was heartbroken, and she wasn't sure about how she could make it up to him.

When morning came and Henry awoke, with a runny nose and tear-stained cheeks, Regina immediately got into action. As she made breakfast for her son, she was already on the phone with the hotel, asking them to put up signs with her phone number, stating that a reward would be offered to anyone bringing Binky back. She had used her mayoral tone to make sure the hotel staff would do exactly as she asked. Now, all she had to do was pray for someone to find Binky and send him back.

A couple days went by with no news from Binky. Henry had been extremely sad and had not slept well. He was starting to get cranky from the lack of sleep. Even his preschool teacher had noticed: for the first time since he had started school in September, he had thrown a fit in class at naptime. Regina was starting to feel desperate about this whole situation.

She was starting to look for a similar stuffed rabbit online when her cell phone rang. Focused on the laptop screen, she picked up the phone without looking at the caller ID.

"Regina Mills" she answered, voice void of any emotion.

"Yeah, erm, I… I'm Emma Swan, and…"

The woman on the phone sounded young and very unsure. That pulled Regina's attention from her computer to the phone call. She waited for a few seconds before the young woman spoke again.

"I… I saw your sign at the Commons Hotel. In Boston. The sign about the stuffed rabbit? Binky, right?"

Regina couldn't help but sigh in relief.

"Did you find him?"

"Yes, yes I did! It was in my room. Behind the bed. I think it must've fallen or something. Anyway, I wanted to let you know. And I wanted to ask you for your address, so I can send it back."

"Thank you so much for calling. My son has not really been himself since last weekend. He'll be very happy to be reunited with Binky. We live in Storybrooke. On Mifflin Street – "

"Oh, I know this town! Friends of mine live there! It's not too far from Boston, right? Maybe I can just drop off the rabbit sometime? Like, this Friday? I'm off work this Friday."

Regina was taken aback by the spontaneous offer. It was also the first time anyone from out of town told her she knew Storybrooke.

"Sure! Friday sounds perfect." After a few more words from each woman, and half a dozen of "thank you so much" from Regina, both women hung up.

Friday came sooner than any of them had anticipated it. From the time he woke up on Friday morning, Henry was excitedly jumping all over the place. Regina had decided to keep him out of school for the day. By 10, he was already so excited that he had managed to exhaust all of Regina's ideas to keep him in place.

When Emma Swan rang their doorbell, a bit before noon, Henry bolted out of the living room and ran for the door. Regina had to scold him gently, as he was already on his toes, the hand on the doorknob by the time she arrived.

"Henry, you know you're not allowed to open the door yourself."

He sheepishly smiled at his mother. Regina opened the door with her practiced polite smile, and came face to face with a young blond woman. What attracted her gaze was not the woman's red leather jacket, nor her beautiful eyes. No, it was her shy smile, and the way it lit up her whole face.

"You're Emma Swan?"

"Hi..."

None of them had time to say anything else before Henry –literally- jumped out from behind his mother and grabbed Emma by the hem of her jacket. Regina instinctively caught her son before he and Emma tumbled to the ground.

"Henry! I'm so sorry, are you alright?"

Unfortunately, Regina had not been quick enough to catch the other woman. Emma had landed right on her butt. She looked quite startled and gratefully accepted the hand Regina was extending.

"Yeah, don't worry. I've seen worse!"

Regina smiled at her. She smiled fully, whole-heartedly. It wasn't the cold smile she plastered on her face during council meetings or any other mayoral duty. No, it was the true, warm smile she only had for Henry.

"Please, Miss Swan, come on in. The least I can do is offer you a drink. And then, we'll discuss the reward…"

"No, no! No reward's necessary! It was my pleasure to bring the rabbit back to you. Except maybe you could –"

"Moooooooommaaaaaaaaa!"

Henry's shriek startled them both. The little boy offered them both a huge, innocent smile. *

"Can I have Binky now? Please?"

"Of course, kid! Here he is!" Emma produced the rabbit, taking it out of the bag she had dropped in her fall.

Henry gasped happily as he flung his hands around the rabbit and hugged it to his chest. He was about to go running into the house when Regina gently took his chubby arm and held him back.

"Say thank you to Miss Swan, Henry. She drove here just to drop off Binky."

"Thank you, Miss Swan!"

"You're very welcome, kid. And you can call me Emma, okay?"

"Okay!" And, with that, Henry had raced back to the living-room, and energetically proceeded to jump on the couch.

Both women smiled at each other as Regina led Emma inside. As they were both sitting down in the kitchen and Regina was taking out glasses for the two of them, Emma cleared her throat.

"Erm… Regina? Can I call you Regina? It's just I… Erm…"

Regina could sense how uncomfortable the other woman was. She gave her a smile and nodded.

"Yes, Emma?"

"I was wondering… You know, about that reward? Well, I was thinking… Maybe you'd accept to go to lunch with me? You know, as my reward?"

Regina was taken aback by the question. She wasn't used to people talking so normally to her - people in town were scared of her, after all.

"I'd be happy to, Emma. But I'm afraid you'll have to make it lunch for four."

"Four?" Incomprehension was written all over Emma's features.

"Well, I can't leave Henry home alone. And I guess that, after all these adventures, we couldn't tear him apart from Binky, even if we tried."


	2. Sharing

_A spin on the roommates AU. Originally posted as part of Swan Queen Week of Winter 2015. Enjoy!_

* * *

"This is all your fault!" Regina exclaimed, glancing ferociously at Emma.

"How on Earth is this my fault? My mother was the one in charge of the reservations!" Emma replied, matching Regina's tone.

Both women were standing in the middle of the hotel room they would have to share with Henry for the following week. Yes, share. It could have been bearable if there had been three beds in the room but they didn't have such luck. There was a twin-sized bed and a king-sized bed. This was what had led both women to arguing, once again, with one another.

"What's going on in there?"

Henry was standing in the doorway, his suitcase in hand. He stepped into the room, inspecting it briefly. Then, without adding a word, he put his suitcase on the smaller bed and opened it, ready to start unpacking.

"Whoa, kid, not so fast. How come you're getting this bed?" Emma complained, moving to get the suitcase off the bed.

"I'm thirteen, Ma! I can't sleep with my _mother_ anymore! I'm too old for this!"

"Well, I'm not sharing a bed with Regina! So I guess you'll have to do with sleeping with one of us! Good thing is, you get to choose who you're gonna share with!"

"What? No, I'm not sharing!"

"Yes you are! And I should warn you, I kick in my sleep!"

"I don't care! I'm not sharing! Mom, do something!"

Henry's voice decided Regina to break the argument. Henry shouldn't be arguing this strongly with anyone, not when they had decided to spend a week together - that is, with Emma and the entire Charming family - for his sake.

"Henry, calm down, dear. There's no need to get worked up like this, because Emma will simply share the room with her parents. Right, Miss Swan?"

The victorious smile on Henry's face warmed Regina's heart. He was her son, after all, never one to lose an argument.

"No, no, no, it's not _right_! I'm not sharing a room with them! Not with the most lovey-dovey couple there is and a screaming baby!" Emma exclaimed. "No offence, guys" she added, glancing at her parents, who were now standing in the doorway.

"None taken." David replied, a slight smirk creeping on his face.

"Well, then I suggest you go looking for another room, because I will _not_ share a bed with you! And neither will Henry, apparently."

"I will not change rooms! And you heard them, Regina; these two rooms are the last they have!"

"Then enjoy sleeping in the corridor!"

"I will not – "

"Stop it, you two!" Snow exclaimed. "You look ridiculous, arguing like children! Yes, it is an unlucky accident that the hotel put us in such rooms. But there is no way of changing things now, except if we go looking for another hotel. Which we will not do!" she quickly interjected upon seeing the determination on both Emma and Regina's faces. "So now, please, will you two get along? It won't harm anyone if you two share a bed for a week!"

Both women muttered, obviously giving up on arguing some more. They grumpily unpacked, giving each other death glares whenever given the occasion. However, when everyone was settled in and they decided to go explore the town, the bed incident was forgotten and they all spent an amazing day.

When night came and they all went to bed, Henry quickly fell asleep. The excitement of the day had worn him out completely. Emma and Regina, on the other hand, had trouble finding good positions to sleep in. After a while, Regina sat up, visibly pissed, and huffed loudly at her neighbor.

"What do you want me to do?" Emma whispered. "I'm just as pissed as you are, so please stop this – whatever you're doing!"

"Fine!" Regina hissed.

They both remained silent for a minute, before Regina spoke again.

"I'm sorry, it's just... I'm not used to sleeping with anyone anymore."

As if she could see the smile spreading on Emma's face, Regina quickly corrected. "I meant sharing a bed with someone, Miss Swan."

"Yeah, right. Me neither, actually. So, I guess we'll both have to do with it for a little while. And, for the record, I do not kick in my sleep. I just said that so Henry wouldn't bunk with me. Sorry."

"Don't worry about it, dear. I guess we can make it work, somehow. It's only a week, after all." Regina replied, gently patting Emma's hand, as a peace offering.

Both women smiled in the dark, unbeknownst to the other, and did their best to go to sleep.

In the morning, they were all awoken by baby Neal's cries. While Regina instinctively looked over to where Henry was sleeping, reminded of when he was Neal's age, Emma grunted and buried her face in the crook of Regina's neck. The half-asleep gesture took Regina aback, and it took her a few moments to relax.

Over the next nights, the two women managed to find a comfortable posture and grew accustomed to sleeping with each other. When the last morning came, they even woke up with their legs somehow tangled up together. When they arrived back to Storybrooke and it was time for everyone to go back to their respective homes, Emma dropped Henry and Regina off at the mansion. As Henry raced upstairs to his bedroom, Emma and Regina said goodbye in the hallway.

"You know, Regina, tonight's gonna be hard for me. I mean, I'd gotten used to sleeping next to you." Emma good-heartedly joked.

"Me too, Emma. Me too."

Regina sounded slightly disappointed. As she looked at Regina, Emma knew that the other woman was fully sincere.


	3. Through Thick and Thin

_Enchanted Forest (very) AU. Originally posted as part of the Swan Queen Week of Winter 2015. Enjoy!_

* * *

Princess Emma arrived to their usual meeting spot panting. She had been held up at her parents' castle, and so she had run all the way there. She paused for a second to catch her breath when she heard muffled cries coming from inside the small cabin. Emma frowned and listened. She was soon convinced that it was Regina, _her_ Regina, who was crying. She had never heard nor seen her cry, but she was convinced that, if someone as strong and dignified as Regina cried, it meant something really serious had happened.

Emma gently opened the door and slid into the cabin. Regina, her girlfriend of a few months now, was sitting on the old bed, hiding her face with her hands and crying her eyes out.

"Regina, what's wrong?"

Emma sat next to Regina. She wasn't anticipating the way the brunette flung her arms around her neck, clinging to her for dear life. Instinctively, Emma rubbed circles on Regina's back, waiting for her to talk.

Regina sniffed a few times and wiped her eyes before looking up.

"Emma… Something terrible happened…"

She sounded so miserable that it broke Emma's heart.

"My mother… She arranged for me to marry King Leopold!"!

Emma's heart dropped in her chest. She knew Regina's mother, Cora. To her, Emma and Regina were friends, a situation she was very happy with. She wanted nothing more than for Regina to be royalty, and being good friends with the princess was a good first step.

"You mean… King Leopold, as in Snow's _father_?"

Emma didn't need to see Regina nod to have the answer. King Leopold ruled the neighboring kingdom. He had lost his wife the previous year. His daughter, Snow White, was a few years younger than Emma and Regina; she and Emma had always been good friends, and Emma strongly suspected that the younger girl had a crush on David, Emma's older brother.

"But, he could easily be your father! What was your mother thinking? How did this even happen?" Emma exclaimed, the words tumbling out of her mouth.

"I was finishing a horseback riding lesson with Daniel and a horse ran by. There was a girl on its back, and I sped to get her off. The girl was Snow White! Then the King came to our mansion, and he proposed! As a thank you! Can you believe it? And my mother accepted! She didn't let _me_ answer him! She accepted for me! Emma, what am I going to do?"

Regina had stood up and was now frantically pacing. Emma walked up to her and wrapped her arms around her. She gently kissed the side of her head.

"You mean, what are _we_ gonna do? You didn't think I would abandon you now, did you? Because I won't. I love you, Regina, through thick and thin."

Regina looked up to Emma and gently kissed her on the lips.

"I love you too, Emma. So much. But… What can we do about this? My mother…"

"Will probably be pleased to know her daughter will marry a Royal Princess."

Shock was now written all over Regina's features.

"What? Emma, are you really going to marry me?"

"Of course I am! I want to spend my whole life with you! And your mother can't say anything against it, because then you will be royalty! So it's a win-win, right?"

Regina was still speechless. Emma laughed and took both of Regina's hands in hers.

"I promise you'll get a ring. And a real, romantic proposal. My parents will deal with King Leopold. We will get married, Regina. That is, if you want to."

The smile on Regina's face was answer enough. "Of course I do, Emma."


	4. Welcome Home

_Canon divergence AU, set in season 3. Originally posted as part of the Swan Queen Week of Winter 2015. Enjoy!_

* * *

As soon as she felt the liquid on her lips, Emma started to remember. It came in blurry flashes at first, making her dizzy. As she swallowed the first few drops, the memories got clearer, more detailed. She saw Henry knocking on her door, with his content grin. She saw herself arriving in Storybrooke, and Regina opening the door. She saw Henry in his hospital bed, her parents embracing her, the curse broken, falling through a portal to the Enchanted Forest and finding her way back. She saw the trigger being stopped, and the whole Neverland debacle. But what she remembered most vividly was that moment when she actually felt brave enough to embrace her feelings towards Regina. She had slowly figured out what Regina meant to her after they'd been back in Storybrooke from the Enchanted Forest. It had taken her to see Regina bound to the table in the cannery, so weak after having been tortured by Greg Mendell, to realize she had to act on those feelings before it was too late. That's when things had spun out of control: the trigger, Henry being taken to Pan, boarding the Jolly Rodger…

_"We'll find Henry. We'll bring him home, Regina."_

_"I know, Miss Swan. Now let's go save our son."_

On the first night aboard the ship, as both women were sharing a cabin, Emma had tried to comfort Regina the best she could… or, more accurately, the most Regina would let her. Regina had eventually opened up to Emma, whispering after a while that she had no reason to live without Henry. That's when Emma had leaned over and kissed her, leaving Regina speechless for a moment.

_"You matter, Regina. Not just to Henry. If you'll let me, then I'll show you. Henry and I, we'll give you a happy ending."_

That night had been the night of something new, something that Emma and Regina had not really anticipated. They certainly had not expected to care so much, to feel so deeply about one another in such a short time. They had rescued Henry, and brought everyone home. For a very short time, when they were on their way back, both of them had imagined a future together. In these few hours before Pan set to enact his curse, they had both been absolutely, ridiculously happy. They were full of hope. They thought anything was possible. This all made the separation more heart-breaking.

_"I won't forget you, Emma. I won't forget this, what's between you and me. I'll think of it enough for the two of us."_

As she swallowed a second time, Emma saw that moment when, at the town line, she and Henry had bid farewell to their family. She couldn't get her mind off how devastated Regina looked. The time they'd spent together had been so short; they hadn't told anyone about it, wary of jinxing it. So Emma had said goodbye to Regina by simply brushing her fingers against the other woman's hand. She had not been able to hold her in her arms or kiss her. They both had to pretend that there was nothing between them, and that they didn't feel utterly crushed. The moment Emma had gotten into her car and had started driving away had been one of the hardest moment of her life, right next to giving up Henry.

As Emma finished the potion and took a long breath, she met Hook's eyes. He looked hopeful, as if he expected her to jump in his arms. 'Well, not today, buddy', she thought.

"I've got to go back there. We're leaving tomorrow."

As soon as she got to Storybrooke, with Hook on her heels and Henry asleep on the backseat, oblivious to the turmoil his mother was feeling, she left Hook standing by the car, in charge of checking on Henry. She hurried to Regina's mansion, at the end of the street. She was slightly out of breath by the time she got there (one year eating without chasing villains had somehow gotten to her), but she didn't pause before pounding on the door. She heard the sound of heels on the marble floors. It instantly made her smile. Of course, Regina would be wearing heels so late, when she was alone at home. Was she really alone? Maybe she'd found someone in the past year. Maybe she'd moved on. Maybe…

"Emma?"

The door had opened, and Regina was standing in the doorframe, mouth agape. Blood rushed to Emma's cheeks, and she gave Regina an awkward smile, the same one than on the night they'd first met each other.

"Hi."

Regina looked absolutely shell-shocked. She still had a hand on the doorknob, and Emma actually worried that she'd stopped breathing altogether. 'God, she looks so beautiful", Emma thought. She stepped forward slowly, not wanting to startle Regina. She had not expected the way Regina literally threw herself at her, flinging her arms around Emma's neck.

"It's okay, Regina. I'm here, now. I'm here."

Emma was rubbing circles on Regina's back, and she let the other woman burry her face in her neck. She kept murmuring comforting and reassuring words into her ear, gently kissing the crown of her head every once in a while. It took Regina a few moments to calm down. As she pulled away from Emma, Regina wiped the tears off the blonde's face.

"What about Henry? Is he here? In Storybrooke?"

Regina's hope-filled voice brought Emma back to reality.

"He is. But there's a problem. He doesn't exactly remember any of his previous life. He forgot Storybrooke, the fairy tales – "

"– And me."

"Hey, Regina, look at me. He'll remember you. I promise you he'll remember everything. We'll go back to normal. We'll fix whatever's going on right now. And then we'll get our happy ending. You, me and Henry. As a family."

Regina smiles at Emma's words. They both know that, together, they can overcome anything. They can take on the world. Together, they're stronger than anyone else.

"I hope you and Henry will spend the night here. He can have his old room back… Or maybe it's better if he just sleeps in the guest room, at first. Where is he? Can you go get him?"

"I'll go in just a second. There's something I need to do first."

Emma leaned in to kiss Regina. She let her hands wander in the brunette's back, as Regina held tightly onto Emma. When they parted, both a little out of breath and grinning ear to ear, Emma hugged Regina once more before stepping back, toward the door.

"I'll just be gone five minutes, so I can get Henry. He's in the car. I'll be right back."

"I'll be waiting for you, then. I missed you so much, Emma."

"I missed you too."

As Regina was about to close the door, Emma called out for her.

"Hey, Regina? I love you."

"I love you too, dear. Welcome home."


	5. Hearbeats

_Celebrities AU. Originally posted as part of the Swan Queen Week of Winter 2017. Enjoy!_

* * *

_"And we're now live from LA for The Mares' concert! They're ending their world tour right at home, and we'll be broadcasting their show live, so stay tuned! They should be starting in about 15 minutes, so not much longer to wait now for the fans who've –"_

Regina turned the radio off and stood up from where she was seated. She looked around the trailer and smiled happily at her son. Henry was slumped in a comfy armchair and had just looked up from his phone. He raised an eyebrow as he saw his mother had stood up.

"Where are you going? Is it time?"

"Well we should go out soon, if we don't want to miss the beginning. But I'd like to wait for Emma to be back first. She should be done with makeup soon." As she was speaking, Regina had crossed over to her son and was ruffling his hair. She quickly glanced at his phone to see what had him staring at his screen in silence for the past 10 minutes.

"Mom!" Henry whined, trying to put the phone back in his pocket before his mom could see the screen. He wasn't quick enough though, and Regina had time to see he was exchanging texts with a certain Paige. The name sounded familiar to Regina; she probably went to school with Henry.

"Paige is in my English class. We're paired up on a project" Henry muttered, blushing all the way to his ears. Regina hummed and kissed the top of his head, taking advantage that he was sitting down and thus not taller than her.

"You're getting too big" she complained softly. "My big boy."

"Mom, I'm 13, you don't have to call me that. It makes me feel like I'm five all over again. Besides, you'll have a _very_ little boy – or girl – again in a few months." As he said this, Henry gestured to Regina's baby bump. At five months pregnant, it was still relatively discreet but undeniably there. Regina had made quite the sensation at the Oscars, a couple days back, by walking down the red carpet as a nominee and in a tight dress, while not having made any pregnancy announcement before.

The door of the trailer opened and Henry jumped to his feet. In came Emma Swan, Regina's girlfriend.

"Well, well, well, if this isn't Academy Award winner Regina Mills and her son, who's turning out to be quite the teenage heartthrob!" Emma joked, quoting word for word a press article that'd been released the day before and had caused Regina to roll her eyes and sigh heavily at the word "heartthrob".

"And here is Emma Swan of the world renowned girl band The Mares!" Henry answered in an exaggeratedly enthusiastic voice. "Mom wanted to see you before we go sit down."

"I wanted to wish you luck before you went on stage, and to give you this…" Regina stood on the tip of her toes and gave Emma a soft kiss, lingering a couple seconds too long for Henry to be completely comfortable watching them.

"Thanks for coming tonight. I'm sure you'll love the show" Emma said after their kiss ended.

"Always so modest" Regina commented with a wink. "I know it'll be great. Well, Henry and I should go take our seats. See you onstage?"

Emma watched her girlfriend and stepson leave the trailer together, and her three band mates come in right after them. Mary Margaret, Ashley and Ruby were all ready to go, and the four women took a few minutes to go through their pre-concert ritual together.

The concert was already well in its second hour. Regina and Henry were immensely enjoying themselves in the VIP section, and Emma looked just as happy on stage. The band had just finished performing "Heartbeats", one of their most romantic songs that Emma had written with Regina in mind. Suddenly, Emma started speaking into her microphone.

"I wrote this song with someone very specific in mind: the love of my life. She's here tonight and I want to dedicate this song, this show, hell, everything good in my life to her, because I owe her every single happy thing that's been happening to me lately." Emma turned toward the VIP section and gave Regina the widest of smiles. "Regina, you're the magic in my life. You're an exceptional woman, the best mother to our children and overall the greatest person I've ever met. I'm proud of you in everything you do, and I'm so thankful for you. But I feel like there's one last thing missing. So, and please don't hate me for doing it in front of everyone… Marry me?" There was a moment of silence all over the crowd, and Regina felt like all of her blood was rushing to her feet. She held onto Henry's shoulder for balance. The teenager had an exceptionally large smile as he looked at his mom and wrapped an arm around her.

"Wait, there's a ring! Kid, give your mom the ring!" Emma exclaimed, suddenly remembering about it. Emma's forgetfulness and spontaneity caused the audience to laugh wholeheartedly.

Henry handed his mother the jewelry box. The ring was timeless and sober, and exactly what Regina liked. One of the tech crew members walked over to them with a microphone, and Henry held it to his mom's mouth.

"Of course I'll marry you, Emma."

The entire stadium erupted in cheers, and Mary Margaret, Ashley and Ruby all high fived in the back. Emma blew her now fiancée a kiss, before exclaiming "Awesome! Now, before I can go and really kiss my fiancée, let's wrap this all up with 'Number one'!"


	6. Hazelnut Capuccino

_Coffee shop and college students AU. Originally posted as part of the Swan Queen Week of Winter 2017. Enjoy!_

* * *

By the time the brunette with the blue blazer and the laptop sticking out of her book bag had reached the counter, Emma Swan was already whipping out a paper cup and already jotting down her customer's first name.

"Hey, Regina! What's up?"

"Hello, Emma" Regina replied with a smile. "I'm doing well. Midterms are out to get me, but other than this, I can't really complain."

Emma chuckled before pointing to the paper cup in her hand. "The usual? Large hazelnut cappuccino and a white chocolate cookie?"

"Yes, please." Seeing Emma's smug grin, Regina couldn't help but tease. "Oh, you think you know me so well, right? Just because I have incredibly predicable tastes?"

Emma snorted out a laugh. She looked over the coffee machines at Regina, blindly pressing the buttons she knew all too well. "Oh, I know you, Regina. It may not look like it, but I'm paying attention, you know."

Regina, who had been rummaging through her wallet to dig up the exact change, stopped mid-motion. " _Really?_ " Her voice had risen an octave as she miserably tried to hide her surprise and keep her perpetually impassible façade.

"I… I notice things" Emma mumbled, suddenly very red in the face.

"And _what_ exactly did you notice, Emma?" Catching up all too happily on Emma's discomfort, Regina now spoke in a playful tone.

Emma mentally cursed herself for never knowing when to shut up. She'd always been an overeager flirter, and she liked Regina _just_ a little too much to be able to keep her cool around her.

"Well, you always have the same thing when you come here to work." Emma tried to breathe steadily as she enumerated. "And I think I must've seen you a grand total of three times in here with friends, so you're either a loner – which I don't mind, just to be clear – or an incredibly focused student – there again, you do you. Or both. I can definitely see you being both. You study political science and history, but I know you've loved the communications and management class you took last semester, because you always smiled a little brighter when you pulled that specific textbook open. I know you love reading, and listening to music. Given the way you've stared at all our pastries the first time I saw you here, I'd say you probably know how to cook for yourself. I know you've taken French and Italian classes, you told me so in September, and I heard you speak Spanish over the phone. When you're very focused, you start twirling a strand of hair between your fingers, and you bite your lower lip when you're hitting a rough spot in your studies. And you…" Emma stopped mid-sentence, suddenly realizing she'd been listing things for way longer than would have been normal, and had probably started sounding like a crazy stalker somewhere along the third sentence. She blushed even more intensely and looked down at the now fuming drink in her hand, not daring to meet Regina's eyes.

"Wow, you're observant." Regina sounded surprised, to say the least, but it was also clear she was very careful not to say anything that might upset Emma. There was a moment of silence as Regina handed the barista money for her order.

"I don't know anything about you, except your name and that you're taking classes at the community college" Regina blurted out. "And that you make an amazing hazelnut cappuccino" she added with a smile, bringing the cup to her lips.

Emma looked up and smiled shyly at her. She couldn't really believe that Regina wasn't running out the door, yelling about how insane Emma was.

"I should get to know you. Around a cup of coffee… or something else, if you don't like coffee. And sometime soon." Regina's words were a little bit hurried, and she struggled a bit to hold Emma's gaze. The blonde, on the other hand, felt like she'd risen to the top of the world and couldn't quite believe her luck. Was Regina, hands down the cutest customer she'd ever served, and very probably a smart and lovely girl, really asking her out?

The joy and excitement prevented Emma from forming coherent sentences, and all she could do was nod furiously and repeat "Yes. Yes. Now? I mean… Yes!"

Regina let out a light-hearted chuckle. "Now?"

"I mean, not if you _really_ have to work. And not now, this very second, but… My shift's over in less than 15 minutes, if you can wait?" Regina chuckled again, and God, how Emma loved that sound! It was equally sobering and intoxicating, and it made her feel like she could move mountains.

"Well, no, I don't _really_ have to work this urgently. And of course I can wait until the end of your shift. In fact, I'll be waiting right _there_ " she said as she pointed to a table nearby, in plain sight from the counter, "and I can't wait for you to join me when you're done."

Both young women smiled at each other, glancing at each other for just one moment longer before Regina went to sit and Emma had to serve the newly arrived next customer, silently celebrating landing a coffee date with her crush.


	7. Falling Off Trees

_Medical AU. Originally posted as part of the Swan Queen Week of Winter 2017. Enjoy!_

* * *

Emma Swan's life was going pretty well at the moment. She loved her job as an EMT, she got along perfectly with her partner, she had loyal friends whose only flaw was that they all worked at the hospital, and most importantly, she had the world's best girlfriend and unofficial stepson: Regina was an exceptional pediatrician and geneticist, with a strong personality and an unsuspectedly big heart, and Henry, eleven years old as of the previous weekend, was a smart, kind and overall great kid. Yes, life could hardly get any better for Emma, and she had been feeling so optimistic lately that she didn't even want to think about her happiness derailing.

She was just walking out of the bathroom and on her way back to the break room to grab some coffee when David, her partner of two years now, came hurrying towards her and tossed her her jacket.

"We've got a call! A 5th grader fell during recess, looks like his arm's broken, according to the teacher. She's also worried about a commotion. Apparently the kid fell from a _tree_ " David said the last part disbelievingly – what kid still climbs trees in this day and age? – and Emma nodded and followed him to their ambulance. She jumped in the passenger seat, leaving David to drive them to the school.

On their way, they exchanged a few pleasantries and jokes. David told her about his wife's newfound obsession with getting pet birds, Emma laughed about Henry's miserable attempt at sneakily staying up past his bedtime the previous weekend, and they complained about the shift schedule for the upcoming month. Emma was in the middle of laughing at one of David's incredibly lousy impression of one of their coworker when she noticed the turn the ambulance took.

She felt her stomach dropping as they neared Henry's school.

"Hey Emma, you okay? You've just gotten a couple shades paler."

"It's nothing, it's just… It's Henry's school." There was an instant of silence as David parked on the playground. "They haven't mentioned a name, by any chance?"

"No. They just said…" David bit his lip and looked worried for a slight moment. "They just said 'a boy', but it doesn't mean it's him, Emma. There are plenty of other boys in 5th grade."

David was right; there was no reason why Henry would be the injured kid. Still, she couldn't shake the feeling of dread that had now taken over her mind.

Her fears were confirmed as she and David arrived where a few adults, including the school nurse, were gathered around a child-sized lump on the ground. She recognized Henry's sneakers and his sweater and took off running towards him.

Emma heavily dropped to her knees by the little boy's head. His eyes were closed and he looked in pain, but she was relieved to see he wasn't covered in blood.

"Hey there, kid."

His eyes snapped open and he had a small strained smile. "Emma."

"Shhh, it's okay, kid. Me and David are going to take care of you, okay?"

Henry nodded miserably. "It hurts, Emma."

She could see he was trying to be brave and not openly cry on the playground, just a few feet away from all his friends. She signaled to David to go kneel on Henry's other side, to block him from view. They completed the routine exam on Henry and quickly came to the conclusion that his left arm was broken, but he didn't seem to have a commotion. At this, Emma sighed in relief. David went to get the gurney as she explained Henry and his teacher that they would need to transport him to the hospital for x-rays. She squeezed Henry's right hand in her own, and she briefly wondered who she was really trying to comfort.

The drive back to the hospital was uneventful. Emma rode in the back, never letting go of Henry's uninjured hand, and David kept making his deplorable impressions to distract the boy.

They were bringing Henry in through the ER when Emma's stomach dropped for the second time that morning, as she heard a cry resonate through the room.

"Henry!" Regina, who was always so calm and composed, sounded hysterical and on the verge of having a nervous breakdown right there in the middle of the ER. She ran towards her son and collided with Emma in the process. She didn't even acknowledge it, rather focusing on her son.

"Oh, Henry! Oh, my poor baby. Your arm – how bad does it hurt? What about your head? Did Emma check you for head trauma? How did you fall _from a tree_? How high was it? What happened? Can you move at all? Don't be scared, you'll be fine. Oh, my little prince –"

Regina was now proceeding to smother him in kisses and flatten his hair on his head.

"Regina, we've booked him for an emergency x-ray… We have to take him." Emma gently whispered.

"Of course!" Regina seemed to snap out of her trance. "I'll go with you –"

"Actually, Dr. Mills…" Mary Margaret, a nurse at the hospital and David's wife, cleared her throat. "We'll need you to fill out some paperwork about Henry. I'm sorry."

If looks could kill, Regina would probably have taken down everyone in the vicinity. She still surrendered and let her son go for the x-rays, to the condition that the radiologist personally showed them to her afterwards.

A couple hours later, Henry was laying on the couch at home, his left arm in a bright green cast and his mother lovingly stroking his hair. Regina had been allowed to leave work early, as it was clear she would not let her son out her sight for the rest of the day.

"You're so brave, my little prince. I'm so proud of you, you didn't even cry."

"Mom, I'm eleven. I'm not a baby anymore" Henry protested weakly, though he was clearly enjoying the compliment.

"I'm still proud of you. And you'll always be my little prince."

Just as Regina was pressing a kiss to Henry's forehead, Emma walked in the living room, having just arrived home from work.

"How's my favorite chimpanzee?" She asked, dropping everything on the floor to go crouch by the boy. Henry shrugged and extended his hand to grab Emma's. They stayed huddled like this for a few moments before Regina spoke again.

"Thank you for taking such good care of him, Emma. I'm sorry I freaked out earlier, it's just – he's…"

"Your little prince" Emma completed, nodding knowingly. "I know." She turned to Henry before adding "You're pretty lucky your mom loves you so much, right?"

Henry hummed in agreement. "I'm lucky to have both my moms, Emma."

The statement brought tears to Emma's eyes. It wasn't the first time Henry said something about having two moms, but it still made her emotional every time. As she squeezed Henry's hand and felt Regina rub her back, she wondered how she had gotten so blessed. Her life was actually going wonderfully right now.


	8. The Color Red

_Soulmates AU. Originally published as part of the Swan Queen Week of Winter 2017. Enjoy!_

* * *

_They say you know true love at first sight, because suddenly you can see the color red. At least that's what I've been told my whole life. Mother also says everyone has this special someone waiting for them out there – their soulmate. I'm not too sure I believe her. I'm 21 now, and I've not yet met my person. I'm starting to think it's not going to happen for me. When I met Daniel, I thought he was the one. When I realized he wasn't, I still tried to make it work. We were together for two years before he died. Of course, I was heartbroken. I also started wondering if my own soulmate hadn't died; it was the only reason I could think of why I still hadn't met them when all my friends already had. Mother tried to comfort me and told me that when someone dies before meeting their soulmate, their connection to this person is somewhat reallocated. But seeing Kathryn and Mal so happy with their better halves is slowly starting to drive me insane._

_I have yet to see for myself what red looks like. It sounds beautiful, the way everyone speaks about it. Father said it's so vibrant and warm, it's like looking at love itself, if love was visible to the naked eye. I guess in some sense it is visible to the eye, otherwise we wouldn't have all that red nonsense. Anyway, I'm tired of all this. I want to meet my special someone. I hate that half of my wardrobe is this revolting shade of grey. I just can't wait to start living my best life._

Regina closed the journal and slipped it back in her purse. She took a deep breath before emptying what little iced tea was left in her glass. She looked around at her surroundings. Moments like this were her favorite: after being so engrossed in her writing, she always felt so disoriented for a few minutes when she looked up and remembered she was in public. She was about to leave the small café where she loved spending her afternoons; it was a great place to observe people, which was key to Regina's search for love. She had picked up writing on her various stake outs: she found it very relaxing, and over time she'd started dreaming about someday writing a bestseller.

Regina gathered her things and got up to leave. She'd barely made it out the door when she felt a hand grab her shoulder. She quickly whipped around.

A young woman was standing right behind her, apparently surprised at the hostile look on Regina's face. She took a step back and slowly lifted her right hand.

"I'm sorry, I tried to call you but you didn't hear. You forgot this at your table." The young woman handed Regina her pen. Regina profusely thanked her; the pen had been a gift from her father, and she would have hated herself if she'd lost it.

The young woman – Emma, as it turned out – had a pretty smile and laughed easily. She kept running a hand through her blonde curls and was looking at Regina a little bit too intensely for the thoughts running through her mind to be completely platonic.

Emma's cell phone suddenly chirped and both girls broke out of their pleasant conversation, still grinning widely. That was when Regina noticed a detail that almost caused her to drop dead from shock.

Emma's jacket was a color she'd never seen before.

Seeing Regina's face drain off all color, Emma took a step forward and placed a hand on her arm.

"Regina? Are you okay?"

"Your – your jacket – Emma, look at it!"

The blonde looked down at her sleeve. Her mouth gaped and her eyes went round.

"Is that…"

" _Red?_ " Regina's voice was no more than a squeak.

Emma looked up, her green eyes filled with shock. Slowly, a new emotion made her way across her features: she looked genuinely happy.

"Red really is a beautiful color, right? I didn't really believe it before now, but they were right. It's like-"

"Looking at love itself. It's what my father always says." Regina blurted out. She took a breath and shook her head, trying desperately to regain composure. "Emma, would you like to get a drink? We should get to know each other better, I suppose."

"You bet I would!" Emma turned around to open the door and let Regina back in before her. As they both sat down, they couldn't stop smiling.

They sat in comfortable silence for a few moments before Emma broke the silence.

"I have to say… Wow!"

Regina raised an eyebrow, suddenly worried that her soulmate would be incapable of speaking grammatically correct sentences.

"It's probably gonna come out the wrong way, but… Wow, you're really pretty."

Regina started laughing, suddenly a little shy, and Emma quickly followed suite.

"Well, you're really pretty too, Emma."

_They say you know true love at first sight, and they're right. Seeing the color red is only the first step, though. When it's true love, everything falls right together, and suddenly you can't see yourself with anyone else, even if you've just met them a few minutes ago. That's what it feels like with Emma. She's brave and selfless in ways I could never be, and she makes me laugh. She has such a fresh outlook on life, and such optimism I sometimes envy her. She makes me feel loved and desired at all times, even that one time I was very sick, running a fever and vomiting on the hour every hour. We've only been together a few weeks, but she's already made my life so much better. She's worth every single year I spent looking for her, and now I can't wait to see what the future has in store for the two of us._


	9. Waking Up

_Enchanted Forest AU. Originally posted as part of the Swan Queen Week of Winter 2017. Enjoy!_

* * *

Regina woke with a start. She tried to catch her breath and immediately regretted it: it felt as if she were trying to breathe through half a dozen cloths draped over her mouth, and the effort made her ribs hurt. In a fit of coughing, she eventually managed to roll to the side and ease the pain in her ribcage. She kept coughing for a few more minutes, the air wheezing in and out of her parched throat that felt like glass paper. When she had regained enough brain oxygenation to keep her head from spinning too much, she looked up and glared at her surroundings as if they had personally offended her.

The bedchamber was still as impeccably tidy as when the queen had gone to sleep, and a few warm rays of sunlight were shyly piercing through the heavy drapes. There was nothing in the room to indicate what could have roused her from sleep, until Regina heard a metallic noise behind her.

Regina turned around so quickly that she almost fell from her bed, and came face to face with a sword. Or, more precisely, a young woman holding a sword. Regina frowned an tried to sit up more properly, in an attempt to look more menacing.

"Who are you? And what do you think you're doing in here? Also, please don't point that _thing_ at me."

The other woman's big green eyes had been filled with surprise when Regina had turned around. Her expression quickly changed, however, to one of defense at Regina's snarl. Still, she lowered the sword and placed it gently against the bed frame.

"I'm Princess Emma of the White Kingdom. And you're the Evil Queen."

"I'm perfectly aware of who I am, thank you very much" Regina's voice was thick with disdain and dehydration. She searched the young woman's face for a few minutes, grimacing when she got the confirmation of what she was thinking. "You're that idiot Snow White's daughter."

The princess narrowed her eyebrows as she nodded. "You must be incredibly bitter for these to be the first words you say after being asleep for well over 20 years."

"Well, excuse me if my conversation skills are not entirely up to your standards, _Princess_. I wasn't exactly expecting to be woken up and have to make small talk with you." Regina's voice was still hoarse from the lack of water, and she couldn't help the next coughing fit that escaped her. Emma jumped up from her seat to hand her a flask, which Regina eyes suspiciously.

"It's water. Drink it, you'll feel better." Upon seeing Regina refuse the drink, Emma shook her head impatiently. "Don't be stupid. If I'd wanted to kill you, I would've done it long ago. Now drink the damned water so you can stop coughing."

Regina took a gulp and, relieved that she wasn't rolling over in agony, took a few more sips until the cough had sustained.

"What do you mean, you would have killed me long ago?" Regina's curiosity took her out of her angry staring at the intruder.

"I, uh… I've been coming here for the past couple years, every once in a while, to check on you." The princess at least had the decency to look embarrassed.

"To _check_ on me?" To say Regina was surprised was an euphemism. Never since her father's death and her subsequent failure at casting the curse had anyone ever bothered to check on her.

"There was talk about some other curse, a couple years ago, so I came to see if perhaps you'd woken up. You were still deep in sleep, so I knew it wasn't you, but you looked so helpless I started thinking – what if someone came in and killed you in your sleep? I've been coming back ever since to make sure it wouldn't happen."

"Why would anyone want to make sure I didn't get killed, least of all you?" None of what the princess made any sense to Regina. If her curse had worked, the young woman and her parents would be cursed to an eternal life of unhappiness, so why would she feel concerned in the slightest about her safety?

As if she was reading her thoughts, the princess answered "It probably doesn't make much sense to you, but… I grew up hearing all about you. About how the Evil Queen had tried to curse us all but – luckily for us – failed and was condemned to a life of exile, where she decided to curse herself rather than remain unhappy and alone. I used to ask my mother about you, about where you were from and how you'd become the Evil Queen. I think I was terrified, at first, that there was no real explanation as to why someone suddenly turned evil, and that I was scared I could accidentally turn evil too… I was a child!" she tried to defend herself when Regina smirked. "Anyway, my mother finally gave in before my relentless questions and told me all she knew about you: how the two of you met, how your mother was, how my mother betrayed your trust and how you were never happy after your boyfriend died… As I grew up, I eventually made sense of all of it, and I understood that your pain and bitterness at other people's happiness made you into what we call the Evil Queen, and I ended up feeling sorry for you. So when there was word of this new curse, I used it as an excuse to find out exactly where your castle was, and I came to see you. And then I…" Emma stopped her rant and suddenly blushed deeply. She was breathless and didn't dare look at Regina in the eye anymore.

Regina was left open-mouthed by all the princess had said. Finally, someone had seen her for who she was. In that moment it didn't matter that this someone was her archenemy's daughter that she'd fantasized about killing when she was just an infant; someone finally saw her as a person rather than this dark, evil and dangerous entity. She looked down at her hands and noticed Emma's hand was just inches away from hers. Without fully registering what she was doing, Regina placed her hand atop Emma's, causing the young woman to look up at her.

"You'll think I'm insane, but… I kept coming back to watch you sleep. You looked so peaceful, unlike in any other portrait of you I'd ever seen. I would stay here, by your bed, for hours and wonder how someone could be driven to such despair that she'd try to pretty much literally set fire to her own kingdom, terrorize her people and then curse herself for all of eternity when she failed. I also looked through your things – I'm sorry. I saw the last books you'd read, and I found your riding journal. The more things I found out about who you really were, the less I could hate you. And I started fearing those who hate you, for what they could do to you while you were so vulnerable. Regina – can I call you Regina?" Regina nodded quickly, urging Emma to go on. "As I watched over you, I think I started falling in love with you."

It was like lightning had just struck Regina. This couldn't be happening. No one except Daniel and her father had ever loved her. There must have been something so utterly unlovable about her that all who loved her ended up dead and with their heart crushed. And yet here she was, this young woman with her kind smile and thoughtful eyes, telling her she'd fallen in love with her as she was asleep and gently rubbing circles on the back of her hand. Regina couldn't find her voice anymore, so she just listened as Emma spoke. Emma spoke of how she sometimes read some of the books to Regina, or how she would update her about the royal stables even though she herself hated horses. She went on to fill Regina in on what had been happening in the kingdom, and Regina was surprised to discover a smart and funny woman, nothing like her dimwitted father and unbearably optimistic mother. Emma kept talking for what felt like hours, until they reached the point in her story where she was animatedly explaining exactly how Regina had woken up.

"… and I took your hand in mine, and I kissed your hand to pay my respects, and then – you moved!"

For the second time that day, Regina felt as if she'd been struck by lightning.

"You… you _kissed_ me?"

Emma's smile faded, surprised at Regina's reaction. "I'm sorry, it was – it was just your hand! I never would've – not while you were asleep! I thought –"

"No no, Emma, I'm not mad, it's just… You _kissed_ me, and I woke up?" Regina's voice was on the edge of breaking, and she repeated that last sentence a couple times until recognition spread across Emma's features.

"Ooooohh! Do you think – True Love's Kiss?"

"I don't know!" Regina was panicking now. She wasn't ready nor prepared for all of this. But as she saw the blissful smile Emma was now sporting, she thought maybe, just maybe, things would be okay now.


	10. Be Brave

_Parallel universes AU, general setting loosely inspired by the X-Files episode "The Sixth Extinction". Originally posted as part of the Swan Queen Week of Winter 2017. Enjoy!_

* * *

When Regina woke up that morning, she already had a peaceful smile on her face. She knew her day would go by smoothly, and nothing could come alter her happiness. She slowly turned around in her bed, coming face to face with her wife. Emma was still asleep, her features calm and her hair slightly tousled. Regina watched her for a few moments, reveling in how the spring sun was warming her skin through the bedroom window.

She looked at the pictures on their bedside table: one was of Emma and her on their wedding day, and all others featured Henry alongside them. These shots perfectly illustrated how quiet and wonderful her life was, right here, right now.

Looking at those pictures almost made Regina regret her former life. When she'd woken up in this parallel universe, where Henry didn't hate her and Emma saw her as Regina rather than the Evil Queen, she had been so relieved. After years of searching, she had found unconditional love and, at long last, happiness. Since then, her days had gone by in a gentle stream of peace, quiet and sunshine. However, Regina had soon noticed that the people here were not the ones she knew back in her world. The Emma she was married to was dull; she had none of "her" Emma's dorky sense of humor, nor even her temper and stubbornness that Regina had somewhat grown to like. Everyone in this new world was way more boring: Snow White was way too forgiving, Charming was even stupider than usual, Rumplestiltskin had stopped scheming altogether and Henry had absolutely no backbone or personality whatsoever. That wasn't enough, though, to make Regina want to leave: as boring as these people were, they loved her now, and she finally had the life she'd always wanted.

_Regina, I don't know if you can hear me, but if you can, please, please come home. We're all lost without you. Henry is blaming himself, and he hides in his room at night to cry. He misses you more than he can tell, I can see it. I miss you too, Regina. I'm sorry I never told you this before, but I really like it better when you're around. I'm sorry that we made you feel like we didn't want you there. I'm sorry you felt like the only way for you to be happy was by going away. If you'll let me, I'll spend the rest of my life apologizing and making it up to you. Regina, please come back._

Regina's days went by slowly. It would have given her time to think, but she tried not to: she found that if she did, she'd start missing "her" Henry and Emma so much breathing became painful. She busied herself with pointless work at the city hall during the day, and made the most of every single moment at home with her family. This world's Emma and Henry may have been ripped of their strength of character, they still had a good heart and were capable to hold standard conversation, and that was enough for Regina to completely surrender to the love she felt for them. In the two weeks she'd been there, she had found some sort of balance and already did not wish to leave it, for it felt like she'd finally found a home.

_Regina, I've spent the past week looking for information on where you could be. I even went and asked Gold for help. He says you're probably in some sort of place that's identical to here, but where the people are different, more like you'd want them to be… or at least to some extent. Is it what happened, Regina? Did you feel so trapped here, so unloved, that you had to go and hide yourself away with fake people who tell you they love you? I feel so guilty. I should never have let Henry say he hated you; I should never have been so hard on you. Everyone was laying everything on you, and no one even tried to support you. Maybe if I had, you would've stayed? Would it have been enough?_

Regina had suggested they went out on a picnic, as a family. Emma had applauded the idea and had kissed her girlfriend's neck gently, while Henry cheered loudly and ran to get his cap and sunglasses from his room. As she was placing the food in the picnic basket, Regina couldn't help but sigh: back home, "her" Henry would have grumbled something about video games and how lame picnics were, and Emma would have begged not to go because she hated nature. The pain of missing them twisted her insides, and she felt a tear roll down her face. Emma walked back into the kitchen but failed to notice the state Regina was in and simply reached out to take hold of the basket. Regina looked out the window, studying Emma as she loaded the basket in the trunk of the car. How was this better than her previous life?

_Regina. You have to come back. I know you're brave, and smart. I know you know this life you're living right now is not the real life. This life is easy, and pleasant, and relaxing as hell after all the pain you've been through. But I also know you know that real life isn't always easy, but it's worth it, and you know that too. I understand it's more comfortable for you to stay there, with people who never question you and whose love you never have to doubt. But we love you too, and it kills me that we ever made you doubt it. Please come home. Do the brave thing and come back to us, so we can show you exactly what you mean to us. We can have this great life here too. Just give me a chance to make things better. I love you, Regina, for real. I love all of you, the good and the bad. I've come to terms with all of you, and I love you. We can have this happy family life you so desperately want. Be brave and come home; you'll never be alone here._

Regina had never felt so tired. She was homesick for a place she wasn't even sure existed anymore. Every night in her sleep, she heard "her" Emma's voice telling her she loved her and begging her to come home. "Be brave", she said. "I'll love you like this other Emma never will, because I know you and I accept you." Regina wanted to believe her, but she also wasn't sure how much pain and disappointment she could take before going insane and reverting to the Evil Queen. But as she saw Henry leave for school that morning, gracefully accepting her kiss on his cheek and not complaining that "Mom, I don't need you to kiss me goodbye anymore", she realized she could never be happy here either. If she was cursed to be unhappy, she'd rather it was in a familiar place, with her real son, bad mood and overall teenage grumpiness included. She'd have to figure out exactly how to come back home, but she knew she'd get there eventually: no one could keep her away from her son for too long, and she and Emma had some unfinished business to attend to. She would do the right thing. She closed her eyes to think and somberly muttered, "Be brave."


	11. Sugar

_No curse and cooking class AU. Orgininally posted as part of the Swan Queen Week of Winter 2017. Enjoy!_

* * *

"So ladies – and gentlemen too, of course – you'll pair up now, and try to reproduce the recipe! I'll move around to see how you're doing." The cooking class instructor, Mary Margaret, had an overly cheerful smile on her face as she said that. Regina looked around and sighed as she saw the young woman who was walking towards her with a hopeful expression. In the three weeks since the class started, Regina had not really made friends with anyone, but not from lack of trying. She had to face it: she simply wasn't a people's person. However, she was pretty good at cooking, while the woman walking towards her couldn't be trusted with a pot of water, and Regina wasn't in the mood for someone to ruin her culinary efforts.

"Hi, Regina!" God, she even sounded too cheerful to be real.

"Hello, Ms Swan. You look well today."

"Thanks! You look good too! I mean-" Emma blushed deeply. She had a tendency to embarrass herself by speaking without thinking first, and while Regina usually enjoyed making fun of her for it, today was not the day. They'd better start getting to work on this peach cobbler.

Regina started assigning tasks to Emma, instructing her to do the simplest things like fetch sugar and wash the fruit. It soon appeared that Emma was even incapable of doing so: she dropped the peaches at least three times and got the wrong kind of sugar and flour. Twice.

"Miss Swan, are you trying to drive me insane or are you just incredibly incompetent to be trusted with even the simplest tasks?"

Emma raised her arms in surrender, dropping the peaches once more. Luckily, this time they scattered on the countertop and did not land on the floor. "Wow, Regina! Are you sure it wasn't the anger management class you should have signed up for?"

Regina whipped around, her eyes throwing daggers and holding the knife in her hand so tight her phalanges blanched. Emma immediately took a step back, eyes on the knife.

"You don't know anything about me, Miss Swan, so how about you shut up and let me cook, so you don't end up _butchering_ yet another recipe?" Regina snapped.

As Regina went on to peel and cut the peaches, Emma remained completely silent and stared at the tip of her shoes. When Regina dropped the knife, Emma quickly took it and washed it, placing it back in the drawer in record time.

"I'm sorry if what I said upset you, Regina."

Regina huffed but didn't reply, her eyes trained on her mixing bowl.

"You're right; I don't know anything about you. Why did you sign up for this class? You're by far the best cook in here, so I don't really see what you're here to learn…" When Regina kept quiet, Emma went on. "I'm here because my roommate forced me. She signed me up, and she actually drives me here every week to make sure I attend the classes. Ruby says I can't be trusted in a kitchen, and she's right. I one almost set the house on fire by heating chili up in the microwave, but how was I supposed to know microwaves can set cardboard on fire?"

Regina burst out in laughter. It was so unexpected, and Emma realized she'd never heard the other woman laugh before then.

"You… You set fire to your microwave? I feel _so bad_ for your roommate!" Regina wiped her eyes when she stopped laughing. "I have a son, and her just started kindergarten. With Henry at school, I had way too much free time on my hands and needed adult conversation. This class was the only one I could fit in my schedule where we could still sign up."

"I'm sorry you're stuck with me, then. It doesn't help much with the 'adult conversation' thing."

Regina wanted to reply something along the lines of "I'll learn to live with that", but Mary Margaret seemed to materialize next to their counter.

"So, how are you two doing? How is that cobbler coming along?"

Mary Margaret was an incredibly cheerful, optimistic and energetic woman, and she drove Regina crazy. She answered her questions as quickly as possible without sounding rude, just so Mary Margaret would leave. Emma smiled as Regina gave an impressive eye roll while the instructor looked away.

"I feel you. Mary Margaret is nice, but she needs to chill. She's way too intense and… _happy_ all the time! It would drive me insane if I had to see her every day." Emma said.

A sly smile formed on Regina's lips. "Well then, Miss Swan, it looks like we can agree on something after all. Maybe we _can_ get along…"

"Of course we can! Worst case scenario, I'll at least have as much conversation as your son." She passed Regina the butter before going on. "Do you have time for a coffee after class? We could… get to know each other some more? And _wow_ , that sounded even lamer than I thought it would."

Regina looked at Emma, silently surveying her. She then smiled and nodded. "Okay, _Emma_. I have time. Now pass the sugar."


	12. The List

_Canon divergence AU, where basically none of the events after the Neverland ark happened. Originally posted as part of the Swan Queen Week of Summer 2017. Enjoy!_

* * *

Family night had always been special to the Swan-Mills family: Wednesday nights were their chance to spend some quality time together, without being bothered by work or Henry's school work or other activities. Planning the family night, however, had slowly become increasingly difficult: each member of the family had their own idea of what constituted good family fun. That's why, to ensure everyone was pleased, Regina had come up with the idea of posting a list on their fridge where everyone could add their ideas for the upcoming family nights. It had been working so far, and everyone in the family checked daily if someone had come up with an interesting proposal. On that Wednesday morning, however, Regina was left more than surprised and slightly uncomfortable by the latest addition. There was a new entry, underneath "make a photo album with last Christmas' pictures" in Regina's neat and careful handwriting and "eat the largest ice cream sundaes we can find" in Emma's quick scrawl.

" _Discuss baby brother or sister"_

Henry had apparently scribbled it in a rush, probably before going off to school. Regina knew there must have been a reason why he'd practically run out of the house to hop on the bus this morning. She re-read the sentence a few times, to make sure she hadn't misunderstood what her son meant, but she eventually had to come to the only reasonable conclusion: Henry wanted a sibling.

"Hey beautiful, what've you got there?" Emma exclaimed joyfully as she entered the kitchen, her empty coffee thermos in hand. She reached for the coffee pot, filled her thermos and turned back to Regina, who was still standing there, obviously shocked.

"Is there something wrong?" Emma asked, slightly concerned. She glanced at the paper Regina was holding and smiled upon realizing it was their list for family night. "Did Henry write something? What is it? Something ridiculous I'm sure?"

Regina shrugged, at a loss for words, and handed the paper over to Emma before leaning against the kitchen counter.

"Discuss baby _brother or sister_? What on Earth…?" Emma's voice raised an octave as she read out loud what her son had written. She looked at Regina with wide eyes and a very obvious apprehension. "Where did he get this idea?"

"I don't know." Regina shook her head. "He never mentioned it before – wait." Emma looked up at her expectantly, silently urging her to go on. "He did say something when we were babysitting your brother, the other day. Something about you being lucky to have a brother, even if he probably felt more like a nephew than an actual brother. I didn't think much about it at the time, but… Do you think it's been on his mind for long?"

"Probably? You know Henry, he thinks alone for a while and then he throws his conclusions at you and expects you to understand his whole reasoning. He's _so_ your son."

"Yes, because you're always so open about what's on your mind." Regina replied with a smile, gentle sarcasm dripping from her every word.

Both women smiled at each other. This kind of playful banter was a regular occurrence between them, and they never got tired of it.

"Well, what do you think then?" Emma prompted. "Is it something you even want to discuss?"

"We've always discussed everything and anything with Henry, I don't see why it should change now –"

"I meant do you want to discuss it _with me_?"

"Oh." Regina paused for an instant, observing Emma's face. "Well, we probably should, shouldn't we?"

"Yeah, probably." Emma couldn't help but sound disappointed that Regina had to think about whether she wanted to talk about it.

"Do you have time now? Or should we maybe do it at lunch?" Regina's voice was now so professional, as if she was merely scheduling an appointment with a slightly unpleasant citizen of Storybrooke.

"Lunch works for me. I'll come meet you at your office, okay?" Emma's throat tightened as she said those words. She needed to leave quickly, before she let her emotions get the better of her. "Love you!" She placed a kiss on Regina's cheek before grabbing back her thermos and exiting the kitchen. Less than a minute later, her Bug had driven halfway up the street, leaving Regina alone with her thoughts.

Lunch time came much quicker than both women would have wanted it to. They had both been lost in thoughts all morning, tallying the pros and cons of adding to the family. When Emma knocked on Regina's office door, she was surprised to find herself anxious. She took a deep breath before stepping in the room and going straight to sit down on Regina's couch, where Regina joined her a few moments later.

"How was your morning?" Regina asked, trying to keep the conversation casual.

"I'm not sure. I don't think I was paying much attention, I was thinking about our talk." Emma answered honestly.

"I thought about it too." Regina's tone had switched back to mayoral, and Emma couldn't help but cringe. "Should we share our conclusions on the matter, then?"

"You don't want a baby, do you?" Emma burst, all plans to remain calm now forgotten.

Regina was startled by the sudden outburst retreated slightly on her side of the couch.

"Why would you say that, Emma? I haven't said anything yet."

"You don't have to actually say anything. You sound… Unhappy with the situation. As if you're trying to refuse without looking like the bad guy." Emma looked down at her knees, pouting like a child.

Regina chuckled slightly, almost sadly. "Oh, Emma. I'm sorry you thought I wanted to refuse. I was just surprised about the whole thing, to say the least. I didn't expect to suddenly _have to_ talk about it."

Emma looked up at her, green eyes flashing with hope.

"So it's not a no on the baby?"

"I would never say no without thinking about it first."

"But…?" Emma could sense the "but" coming.

"I'm not sure." Regina confessed. "It's all very tempting, but… You weren't there when Henry was young." The words weren't said in an accusative tone, but they stung nonetheless. "I don't think I was a very good mother then. I mean, Henry was fed and healthy and I kept a roof over his head and he was materially fine, but… I'm not sure I was very good at loving him."

Regina's self-doubt hurt Emma more than any remembrance that she had missed most of Henry's childhood ever could.

"What do you mean, not very good at loving him? Regina, you've always been an incredible mom to Henry. He's turned out amazing, and you get most, if not all, the credit for that."

Regina smiled sadly before softly patting Emma's hand.

"It's very sweet of you to say that."

"I mean it, Regina." Seeing that no amount of complimenting would ever get Regina to see how good of a mother she had been, her Evil Queen breakdown aside, Emma added: "Anyway, I'll be here this time. And you can't deny that, together, we make a pretty kickass team moms."

"Team moms?" Regina chuckled. "I like the sound of that."

"Yeah, me too." Emma pulled Regina into a one-armed hug. "So, now that we've gotten this out of the way… What do you say about this potential baby?"

"I can't wait to meet them. I mean, only if you're 100% on board for this, of course."

"Are you kidding me? I've never been more on board for anything in my whole life!" Emma's eyes were sparkling, and Regina's smile was properly radiant. Both women stayed silent a second, reveling in each other's happiness until Emma broke the silence, sending them into a fit of laughter.

"Man, this baby is going to be the greatest baby ever made! No one stands a chance to team moms."

When Henry came back from school on that Wednesday afternoon, he was surprised to see a paper taped to the front door of the house. He got slightly nervous when he recognized their list of ideas for family night. One of his mothers had circled his proposal in red, and the other – Emma, he was certain – had put a smiley face next to it. Henry grabbed the paper, with a wide smile on his lips, and he rushed into the house, impatient for family night to begin.


	13. Mayor Milf

_No curse AU, where Regina and Emma somewhat co-parent Henry after he found his biological mother. Originally posted as part of the Swan Queen Week of Summer 2017. Enjoy!_

* * *

If there was one thing Emma Swan liked about her job as a sheriff in a town such as Storybrooke, it was patrolling by car. The town was always pretty peaceful, except for the occasional teenage quibble, dog running out of their master's garden or Leroy drunkenly wandering about, so those car rides were the perfect occasion to cruise through town, greeting her neighbors and taking in the beautiful sight that was Storybrooke's surroundings.

As she turned a corner, she saw a group of teenagers on the sidewalk to her left, right outside of the park. She would normally simply drive past them and wave, but something struck her as unusual. The teenagers were all standing perfectly still, too still for it to be natural. She could practically feel the tension floating around, and their immobility clearly screamed that they'd barely stopped doing something reprehensible. She stopped her car and pretended to look at something on her phone to sneak a look at the teens. There were half a dozen of them, mostly boys and a couple of girls and – Emma raised an eyebrow at this – Henry. And Henry didn't look too pleased with whatever situation he was in: he kept shooting angry looks at the boys in front of him and his fists were clenched so tightly his knuckles were white. Upon seeing her normally so agreeable son so upset, Emma decided to take the matter into her own hands and got out of the car.

"How're you doing, kids? You're all having fun?" She asked as she walked towards them.

"Oh yeah, we're having fun all right, Sheriff Swan." One of the boys said, a sarcastic smile playing on his lips. She recognized him as some kid a year older than Henry, whose parents lived a couple of blocks behind Granny's diner. The boy – Edward? Ernest? – put his arm around Henry's shoulder, looking way too friendly for any of it to be real.

Henry hurriedly shrugged his arm off from around his shoulders and took a step to the side, inching closer to where his friends – the Zimmer siblings and Paige – were standing. He shot the boy a death glare but still remained silent.

"Come on, Henry. We're friends, aren't we?"

Emma definitely didn't like that boy's tone, nor the way he was looking at her son. Her eyes met Henry's, but he looked away before she could try to convey any kind of message to him.

"Henry's just being shy, Sheriff. Maybe he'd like you to call his mommy?" taunted the boy.

"Don't talk about my mother!" Henry spat out. The boy shook his head and cackled, looking very pleased with himself.

"Why, Henry? You don't like it when we bring up your lovely mommy, Mayor Milf?"

Everything after that happened in a blur: in the blink of an eye, Henry had thrown himself at the boy and it took all of Nicholas and Ava Zimmer's strengths combined to hold him back. The boy jumped back and one of his friends went to pat him on the back. Emma instinctively stepped up to break any potential fighting, disoriented by the fact her son had pretty much started a fight, as well as by the pleading look Paige was throwing her. Henry's eyes were throwing daggers and he struggled for a few more seconds, until Paige went to place a hand on his arm and told him to calm down. Emma raised an eyebrow at this, but any kind of question this sparked would have to wait; she first had to keep Henry from jumping at the other boy's throat.

"What's stopping you, pal? Scared of your mom?"

"Shut up, Edgar! I swear, if you don't shut up about my family your little friends are gonna have to collect your teeth from the sidewalk!"

Emma had never seen Henry so angry. She could feel him tensing up again, and she knew this time his friends wouldn't be able to hold him back.

"Henry, what's going on?" She asked. "Come on kid, talk to me. I don't want to have to take you to the station for getting into a fight." She pressed when he kept quiet.

"He… he called Mom… disrespectful names… He said… He said she's a MILF!" Henry managed through gritted teeth.

"I'm only telling the truth! Come on, everybody in this damn town knows this! Am I right, Sheriff Swan? You must've noticed, I've seen you looking at her!"

That was when the boy – Edgar, as Henry had called him – crossed a line for Emma. She would have let the taunting slide, and she would have looked away from his obvious intention to pick up a fight with Henry, but him saying those things about Regina were just too much.

"What did you just say?" She barked, whipping around and grabbing the teen by the arm. A flash of fear came over his face, and Emma could practically see him think that he shouldn't have said that.

"I… I said…" he stuttered, obviously anxious. Behind Emma, Paige snorted and Nicholas muttered something she couldn't hear.

"I heard you. Now you listen to me: I never want to hear you, or any one of your buddies say anything like that about women of Storybrooke in general, or Mayor Mills in particular. Otherwise, as Henry so nicely put it, there'll be consequences. You get that, _pal_? Did I make myself clear?"

The teenage boy swallowed and nodded. "Yes ma'am. Cristal clear."

Emma smiled with satisfaction. "Good. Now all of you get out of here before I ask your parents to collect you and tell them _exactly_ what you've been up too."

In a split second, the teenagers had all scattered and run off to what Emma assumed were their respective homes or another meeting spot, with the exception of Nicholas, Ava and Paige, who said goodbye to Henry and Emma before taking off, with the promise to text Henry shortly to figure out another hand out.

Emma and Henry were left alone. She put her hand over Henry's shoulder and smiled at him.

"You okay, Henry?"

"I'm fine, Ma. Thanks." He took a breath and ran his hand through his hair. "Why did you intervene?"

"I'm a Sheriff, kid. It's my job to prevent fights."

"I mean, why did you defend Mom like this? I figured you'd just tell Edgar to leave me alone and you'd scold me for getting upset to the point of almost getting into a fight."

"Well, I just don't like when people are disrespectful to your mother." Emma was getting uncomfortable with the whole situation, and she just wanted to drive Henry home quickly.

"But why my mom? Why do you want to defend her honor like this? You're usually not that bothered when it comes to other people…"

"Henry, I – I don't know, okay? I just hate it when people think it's okay to be rude to her, because they feel justified in some way because of her past actions. Also, your mother is a human being, not a piece of meat, and I seriously don't want to think about anyone wanting to – _you know_ – with the mother of my son, let alone another teenager."

Emma blurted out the last part without thinking, and even she seemed surprised by her words. Henry looked startled at first, before smiling brighter than his mother had seen him smile in a little while.

"Sooooo… Are you still gonna pretend you don't like Mom? Not even a little bit? I mean come on, Ma, it's so obvious you like her!" Nudging his mother, he added "I think I could allow _you_ to call her a MILF, you know."

Emma blushed and gently shoved her son away. "Ew, Henry. Definitely _not_ the kind of talk I want to be having with you!" She glanced sideways at her son, and the look of pure hope on his face made her think that, maybe, it wouldn't be so bad if she told Regina about the confusing feelings she'd always had for her. Maybe.


	14. So Happy

_No curse AU. Originally posted as part of the Swan Queen Week of Summer 2017. Enjoy!_

* * *

It's snowing hard when Henry tells them they're going to be grandmothers. Emma and Regina are so happy to have him and his wife Sophie home for lunch; they don't see them as often as they'd wish, even with them having just moved back to Storybrooke after living in Boston for nearly a decade. Sarah and Alice, Emma and Regina's twelve-year-old twins, are overexcited to have their brother all to themselves for the day, even if they see him pretty much every day at school, where Henry teaches high school English.

From the minute Henry and Sophie step into the house on that cold winter Sunday, Regina can feel something is different. She observes the young couple throughout lunch and can't quite pinpoint what it is, but she knows something's up with her son. She mentions it to Emma as they're in the kitchen to plate the dessert. Emma shrugs it off, saying it's probably nothing and Regina is being her usual overbearing self, but Regina doesn't believe her. They bring dessert – Regina's apple pie, Henry's favorite – to the table, walking in on Sarah telling a joke and the rest of the table bursting into laughter. Even Sophie, who is usually so quiet, laughs along. For some reason she can't quite figure out, Regina looks at Sophie a while longer than she usually does: she studies her friendly smile and is reminded of how sweet her son's wife has always been and how easily she'd fit into the family, despite her initial shyness. Regina is truly happy that Henry found someone so perfect for him, and even though she had initial reservations about any girl marrying her little boy, she now has to admit they make an extremely well-fitted pair.

Regina snaps out of her thoughts by Henry clearing his throat.

"So, now that we're all together, Sophie and I have something we'd like to tell you…"

Anxiety settles into Regina's stomach and she can't help but grab Emma's hand under the table. Then Sophie gives Henry a bright smile and her eyes well up a bit, and Regina starts to slowly imagine what can be going on.

"We're having a baby!" Henry exclaims joyfully. There's a short stunned silence, and then everyone jumps up from their seats. Sarah and Alice are squealing and high fiving before rushing to envelope Sophie into a hug and bombard her with questions, while Emma yells "Yes!" and fist pumps in the air, exactly as she does when her football team scores. She goes to hug her son and congratulate the couple, smiling so widely Regina is afraid her face might tear in two. Regina, however, can barely stand up from her chair. She's gone completely numb and can't articulate a single thought. She should have known this was coming; she should have seen the reason why the young couple decided to move back here to be "closer to family". Her little boy is going to be a dad. Regina's not too sure if she's overwhelmed with happiness or if she wants to cry.

But then, all of a sudden, she realizes Henry has taken a step towards her and is reaching out to take her hand. He looks worried, and seeing the apprehension in her baby's eyes melts her heart completely. She doesn't take the hand he's holding out and hugs him with all her strength instead.

"Congratulations, my little prince. I'm just so happy."

___

It's the warmest day of summer when Sophie goes into labor. Regina's cell phone rings just as she was about to put a load of laundry in the washer, and she drops everything the moment she hears Henry's voice on the phone. She can feel his apprehension, and she's already grabbed her purse and rounded up Emma and their daughters by the time she promises Henry she'll be at the hospital as soon as possible.

The drive to the hospital is longer than Regina remembers it. Even when she'd gone as she was the one in labor, it hadn't felt that far. She doesn't give Emma a chance to park the car before getting out and running to the nurses' desk. She needs to see her son; she needs to hold him and tell him everything is going to be alright and he'll make an amazing dad. She catches sight of him as she walks into the maternity ward. He's pacing back and forth, nervously twisting his fingers, and for a split second all she sees is her little boy, four or five years old at most, trying to figure out the best way to ask if "please Mommy, can we go to the fair right now? I know we said tomorrow, but please Mommy I really need to go now!".

She practically runs to him and engulfs him in a tight hug, kissing his hair and rubbing his back like when he was little and used to have nightmares. They barely talk, as if his mothers' mere presence was enough for him to feel safe, and he's back in the hospital room with his wife before Emma arrives.

It takes hours, but Henry's daughter is born before midnight that day.

When Henry stumbles out of the room, disheveled but looking happier than ever before, his eyes are still filled with tears – happy tears, he assures them immediately – and he leads them into the room without adding a word.

Sophie is lying there, looking exhausted but unspeakably happy, and she's holding the baby. Regina can feel her insides twist at the sight, and something in her is screaming that she needs to hold her granddaughter, to see her this very minute. Henry takes her by the hand and gets her closed to the bed, taking his daughter from Sophie to place her into Regina's arms.

In a second, Regina is in love. She's completely lost to the little girl in her arms, just as she's been wholeheartedly lost to Henry so many years ago. The little girl has the same chubby cheeks and the same nose, but she has her mother's coloring, slightly lighter than Henry's. Regina can't see beyond that as her eyes are filled with tears she tries her hardest to blink away.

"Her name's Evelyn. Evelyn Regina Mills." Henry sounds so proud to announce his daughter's name, and Regina can't fight the tears a second longer. She can't take her eyes off her precious granddaughter, even as she feels Emma step right behind her and ask her if she's okay.

"I'm just so happy."

\---

It's early fall when little Evie stays for the first time for a whole week at her grandmothers'. She's just turned two years old, and she doesn't even cry when her parents leave. Regina and Emma are over the moon that they get to spoil their granddaughter for an entire week, with no interruptions whatsoever. They've taken time off from work and they've planned tons of things to do with her and the twins. They spend the week playing hide and seek and baking and going swimming and dancing in the living room and having tea parties and playing dress up and telling stories and laughing so much their stomachs hurt. The weather is amazing and they even teach her to pedal on her little tricycle. The little girl is curious, kind, smart and a real cuddle bug. She inherited Henry's eyes and his pouty mouth, which makes it impossible for Regina and Emma to deny her anything.

Evie's stay with them is a time for firsts: it's her first time sleeping away from home or staying without her parents for so long; it's also the first time she eats a bear claw – thanks to Emma – and the first time she tries to curtsey when playing princesses – thanks to Regina.

It's right before bedtime, on the Thursday, when Evie goes through yet another first. Emma's just finished telling her a story and Regina is tucking her in when Evie puts her little hand on her arm.

"What is it, Evie? Is there something wrong?"

The toddler shakes her head. "Nuh-huh. Just… Love you, Nana 'Gina."

And with that, the little girl buries her head into her grandmother's neck. Regina is taken aback for a second until she meets Emma's amused smile over Evie's head.

"I love you too, Evie." She replies in a tear-filled voice. She mentally curses herself for becoming so emotional with time.

"Love you too, Nana Emma." Evie's voice is muffled by Regina's shoulder.

"Love you too, kid." Emma comes to kiss her granddaughter's hair.

Evie looks up and immediately notices the tears on Regina's face.

"Why you crying, Nana 'Gina? You sad?" She asks, pouting in concern.

"No, darling. I'm just so happy."

\---

It's late spring when Regina and Emma are tasked to look after all their grandchildren while Henry and Sophie are invited to a friend's wedding in Boston. Both grandmothers are of course delighted to have their grandkids over, even if it becomes slightly more complicated to look after everyone as they age and the number of grandkids increases. Henry has four kids now, but Sarah and Alice are both due with their first child for around Thanksgiving. Henry's kids are all beautiful, intelligent and kind, and their grandmothers adore each and every one of them.

The kids have spent most of the afternoon playing soccer in the garden, and they are now all roasting marshmallows in the garden. The kids are all laughing, the youngest covered in melted candy, as they beg their grandmothers to tell them stories about when their dad was little. Emma complies gracefully, always happy to embarrass Henry even indirectly, and Regina sometimes adds to her stories, trying to absorb as much of the ambient happiness as she possibly can. Evie winks at her over the fire, and Regina can feel a wave of warmth enveloping her. The moments spent with her grandchildren fill her with a feeling she could never really describe: it's joy and happiness, of course, but it's way more relaxed than when she was with her own children. She's always loved her children more than anything in her life, but her grandchildren have brought her a peace she never thought she could ever find: for the first time in her life, Regina feels like she truly belongs and she won't suddenly mess everything up. Her life is the closest to perfect that it could be.

When she and Emma go to tuck each of their grandchildren in, as they always do, Evie hugs her grandmother extra tight.

"Nana 'Gina?"

"Yes, darling?"

"I had a great day today. Thank you." Before Regina can answer, she continues. "Did you have fun too?" Just shy of thirteen years old, she understands her grandmother perfectly and she is by far the most empathetic of their grandchildren.

"Of course I had fun. I always have fun with you all. But don't worry about it, okay? It's time to sleep now."

After kissing her granddaughter one last time, Regina walks out of the room with Emma.

"You okay, babe?" Emma asks. After all these years together, she still gets worried if Regina just as much as flinches.

"Of course I am, Emma. I'm just... so happy."


	15. Operation Sparkle

_No curse AU. Originally posted as part of the Swan Queen Week of Summer 2017. Enjoy!_

* * *

"Are you sure about this, Ma? So many things could go wrong! I mean, there's a 95% probability Mom will catch on before you're even halfway through with the plan. She'll notice something's up and the surprise is going to be ruined. Maybe you should go with something less over the top? Like dinner in a nice restaurant or a moonlight picnic, or even just a weekend in Vermont next Valentine's day?"

Henry and Emma are sitting in Emma's bug, speaking hurriedly to finish their talk before pulling up in their garage lane.

"No, Henry. It has to be huge. I want to do something nice for your mother, and I want it to be perfect. She deserves it. We just need to be better at hiding it than she is at sleuthing. That's why I absolutely need your help. It's essential that she thinks this vacation is your idea, okay? This way she shouldn't be too suspicious and Operation Sparkle should be a success."

Henry makes an uncertain pout but agrees nonetheless. That evening, over dinner, he pleads for a family vacation in Paris ("But Mom, none of us has ever been! It would be so great! And it would help me with my French!"), and he does his best to convince her. After a couple days of discussing it with Emma, Regina eventually agrees and the Swan-Mills family makes their reservations for the following spring.

As soon as they land in Paris, their vacation takes a magical turn. Regina has been slightly afraid of flying, but she's thankfully gotten quickly over it. The three of them are immediately taken with everything they are seeing. Henry is snapping pictures like a madman, Emma is pointing at pretty much everything she sees and Regina's eyes are glistening madly. As they get in the cab that's driving them to their hotel, Regina leans over to Henry and thanks him for suggesting the trip. Henry smiles brightly and discretely winks at Emma, who stifles a laugh in a cough. The first step of the plan is completed: they've gotten Regina to Paris. They can now start the hardest part of their plan, which they only have a few days to complete.

The week they spend in Paris is wonderful by all aspects. They marvel at what they are seeing and they enjoy each other's company even more than they do at home; Emma even jokes Parisians must put something in the water to make teenage boys less moody and small-town mayors less strict, and Regina and Henry both laugh at it happily. Henry takes his role in Operation Sparkle extremely seriously: whenever Emma gives him his designated and subtle signal, he distracts Regina by showing her yet another pigeon or asking for yet another delicious treat he's just spotted in a shop. Regina doesn't seem to notice Henry's sometimes ridiculous attempts at getting her attention nor Emma's odd lingering a couple of steps behind them; she looks so enamored with Paris absolutely nothing could phase her.

They go sightseeing, and they walk so much they drill a hole in the sole of their shoes and need to buy new ones; they find relatively cheap sneakers for the whole family in a chain store and throw their old shoes in the nearest trashcan, laughing madly at their misadventure. They go to Versailles and nearly get lost in the public transportation of the way there, and then they nearly get lost in the park and they end up having to ask a gardener for directions so they don't get locked in the park. They go for a boat ride on the Seine, and it's so wonderfully cliché but none of them could care less. They eat crêpes and croissants – Henry swears he's become intolerant to any food that doesn't come from a bakery – and any kind of pastry or cheese they can find. Regina insists to try a different wine every night, and Emma is all too happy to oblige; they even let Henry try cider one evening. They go to Montmartre and on the Grands Boulevards; they walk up and down the Champs-Elysées too many times to count; they wander around the Louvre for an entire day and Regina has tear in her eyes when she looks at Michelangelo's statues of slaves because "Emma, they look so real! Someone _made_ these, and it pretty much looks like they're breathing". They go up the Eiffel tower, and they come back later when the sun has set and the tower is lit, and Emma spins Regina around, dips her and kisses her deeply before grabbing Henry and hugging her girlfriend and her son with all her strength. They get their picture taken pretty much everywhere, and they buy the most ridiculous souvenirs (including a beret, an apron and a baguette-shaped bread knife for Snow). They even go to Disneyland, despite Regina's reticence that they have exactly the same park at home, but when Emma and Henry put on their identical pouts and puppy eyes, she can't deny them anything, and so they go to Disneyland and laugh at each other's pretty miserable attempts to pronounce the French titles of the Disney movies, even though Regina and Emma are proud to notice Henry's French accent has greatly improved since the beginning of the school year. They spend a week out of time, when all that matters is the fun they'll have that day and the fascinating new things they'll see.

Sadly, they have to leave Paris. They all get slightly teary-eyed (Henry included) when they leave their hotel and later on, when they have to board their plane, and they try to comfort each other by promising they'll come back together someday. They return home and, even though they're all happy to be back in their house and see their friends and family again, they can't help but feel slightly nostalgic.

Emma, however, doesn't have too much time to feel sorry: the second part of Operation Sparkle was a success, but she has to get to work and get part three done quickly.

The last part of her plan arrives in the mail on the last week of April. Emma gets the last details ready and tells Henry that they'll get into the last phase of Operation Sparkle on the weekend. Henry high fives her, and he's ridiculously chirpy the rest of the week.

When the day arrives, Emma makes sure the three of them won't be disturbed. Right after breakfast, she hands Regina the photo album of their trip to Paris that she's had printed and sent home over the week and, right as Regina starts flipping through the pages, Henry calls her from the other room to ask for her help over homework. Emma and Henry wait in the kitchen, nudging each other gently and stifling giggles, even though Emma is so nervous she might drop unconscious at any moment. Once Regina is edging the end of the album, they both discretely come back into the living room. Regina's back is to them but that doesn't change a thing, she's so focused on the pictures she wouldn't have noticed them anyway. When she turns the last page, she furrows her eyebrows for a second before gasping and covering her mouth with her hand. She turns around to find Emma on one knee, brandishing an engagement ring, and Henry beaming.

On the last double page of the album, Emma's had special photos printed: during their whole trip in Paris, she'd taken pictures of letters wherever she could find them, on shop windows, on street signs, on banners or book covers, and she'd positioned them to spell "Regina, will you marry me?". The gesture was outrageously romantic, but somehow it was so Emma: thoughtful, clever and incredibly loving.

Regina didn't have to think for a second before saying yes and diving into Emma's arms, with Henry cheering both of them on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: the "drilling a hole in my shoe because I walked so much" actually happened to me when I was sightseeing in London! I had to buy the first shoes I could find and toss my old shoes in a street trashcan... Fun times ! :)


	16. Enough

_No curse, divorced mommies AU. Originally posted as part of the Swan Queen Week of Summer 2017. Enjoy!_

* * *

Emma has been tapping the table ever since they all sat down. It's been precisely four minutes and 37 seconds – yes, Regina has been counting; she has nothing better to do after all, except maybe smooth nervously the hem of her dress. She's spent a good fifteen minutes that morning figuring out what to wear, not having a single clue what outfit could be deemed appropriate for signing her and Emma's divorce settlement. Regina feels panic rise in her chest at the thought: the moment they sign this paper, their marriage will officially be over, and everything from the past nine years will be all up in smoke. Regina had been perfectly fine with getting divorced, at first; after all, they were arguing all the time and she knew they couldn't go on like this forever, especially for Henry's sake. But now that it was so imminent, she is gripped by a numbing panic whenever she thinks about it.

She's laid awake the entire night, dreading the moment her alarm would go off and she'd have to get on with her day. She had three things to do that morning: get herself ready, get Henry to school, get divorced, before going back to work that afternoon, picking Henry up from school and going on with their evening routine. It feels insane that she'll have to go back to her daily life after such a life-changing event, as if getting divorced wasn't more significant than picking up some dry cleaning. Regina feels like everyone is expecting her to be unphased by the divorce, since she and Emma had agreed to split up pretty amicably, when all Regina actually wants is to scream at the world that her life is pretty much ending and she's not too sure what to do with herself now that she's not Emma's wife anymore. Her panic sets in and her breaths get more labored as she thinks back to all the time she's spent being Emma's girlfriend, then wife. Emma always used to tell her "You're my everything", and it used to fill Regina up with happiness and warmth. Now, all she feels is incredibly cold and lost. That's when Regina notices her eyes are filled with tears, and she needs to calm herself down, so she does what she's been doing whenever her upcoming divorce had been weighing her down: she goes through the list of reasons why getting divorced was for the best. First reason, they couldn't keep arguing forever, and being both so stubborn, the only way to stop the fighting was to get away from each other. Second reason, they both deserved better than bitterness and harsh words, and they cared for each other too much not to want the very best for the other. Lastly and most importantly, Henry deserved to grow up in peace, and he would be much better growing up with divorced yet civil moms than with moms who couldn't stand each other; they had to end it while they didn't hate each other. It makes sense, and Regina has always done what made the most sense, so of course getting divorced is the right thing to do, if only for Henry.

Thinking about Henry usually fills Regina up with pride and happiness: her little prince is her everything and she loves it with all she has. However, thinking about him in that precise moment, waiting for her and Emma's lawyers to come in with the paper that will dissolve their family, is enough to bring tears to her eyes. All she can think is that she and Emma won't be together when he'll graduate high school and college, when he'll get his driver's license and his first girlfriend or boyfriend, when he'll lose his first tooth or when he'll score at a sports game. He will never again get to open his presents on Christmas with both his mothers there with him, and he will never again get family vacations with both his parents. Their life as a family of three will end in this room; they'll have to figure out a new kind of together, and for the first time Regina feels incredibly guilty that her son, at the tender age of five, will have his whole life changed because his mothers couldn't love each other enough.

A single tear rolls down Regina's cheek as she thinks this.

Emma probably notices it, because she then tentatively takes Regina's hand in hers.

"Are you okay?" Emma asks, and Regina is surprised to see all the anger of the past few months has completely vanished from her eyes. For a split second, she looks just like the Emma she fell in love with and who always looked at her so lovingly.

Regina shrugs miserably and squeezes Emma's hand softly, not knowing how to put words on what she's feeling without sounding ridiculous.

"I'm sorry, Emma. I'm just so sorry we couldn't love each other enough to keep going. I'm sorry it has to end like this."

Emma seems surprised, and that's when Regina realizes it's probably been ages since she's last apologized for anything.

"Hey, 'Gina, you have nothing to be sorry about. It's not our fault. That's just the way it is, and we're doing what's best, okay? It's best for Henry. It'll all work out in the end, don't worry." A thin smile played on Emma's lips. "And you know all marriages that don't end in a divorce end in death, so I think we've really dodged a bullet here."

The ghost of a smile danced furtively on Regina's lips, and she squeezed Emma's hand one more, promising herself they'd find a way to be together in some way for Henry.

\---

Five years have passed when Regina allows herself to really think back to that moment. The divorce settlement had been signed minutes later, and she and Emma had gone their separate ways. Despite their promises to stick together to parent Henry, there'd soon been tension, and they'd started seeing each other as little as possible to avoid fighting. Slightly less than a year after their divorce, Emma had gotten a job offer in Boston and so she'd moved away, minimizing Henry's tears and being completely oblivious to how deeply Henry's pleads for Emma to take him with her had hurt Regina. Regina and Henry had managed to find a new balance together, and Henry had gone to see Emma in Boston when he didn't have school. Emma had never set foot in Storybrooke again, and she'd found herself a new boyfriend, whom Regina hated and Henry wasn't too fond of. Regina had dated someone new too, but she never could get too involved with him. Things had been decent until shortly after Henry's ninth birthday, when he'd started resenting Regina and begging to move to Boston; he'd accused Regina of keeping him from his mother and Regina had cried herself to sleep after failing to make him understand that she had nothing to do with Emma moving and never visiting. The tension between mother and son had reached a climax that day: it was Emma's birthday – Regina had remembered with a pang of guilt as she'd seen the calendar that morning – and Henry had run away from their house. Regina had been worried sick the entire day, until she'd gotten a phone call from Emma saying he was at her apartment and she'd drive him back to Storybrooke. So Regina paces the living room, impatiently waiting for Emma's car to pull up.

As the clock in the living room strikes ten, Regina hears noise outside and, in the blink of an eye, she's on her front porch. She runs to hug Henry with all her strength, but he shrugs her off and hurries past her towards the house. Emma is right behind him, looking more beautiful than Regina remembers her. They haven't seen in each other in four months now, and they've only spoken briefly on the phone, so they awkwardly greet each other before Regina invites her in.

"It's late, Emma, you shouldn't drive back now. You can spend the night here. I'm sure Henry will be very happy about it; he's missed you."

"I know he has." Emma shakes her head and runs a hand through her hair to let out her frustration. "He kept going on about wanting to stay with me, 'Gina. I tried telling him you weren't preventing me from seeing him, but for some reason he's convinced otherwise."

"He's been… difficult, lately. He's just so angry and I don't know what to do. I feel like we've failed him. We got divorced so he wouldn't turn bitter and angry, and it doesn't look like it's done him any good!" Regina can feel herself getting angry. She takes a few deep breaths to calm down. In the meanwhile, Emma has closed the gap between them and has pulled her into a hug. Regina tenses up; they haven't been physically so close since their divorce, and feeling Emma's body pressed against her, smelling Emma's hair, feeling her breath against her skin is overwhelming.

They stay like this for a few moments, until Henry slams a door somewhere upstairs.

"You know, 'Gina, I've been thinking lately… Remember when we got divorced, and you said we were doing it because we didn't love each other enough to keep going?" Regina nods. "I think you were wrong. We didn't get divorced because we didn't love each other enough."

"We didn't?" Regina asks, surprised that Emma would start talking about it now.

"I think we just needed some time apart. I've always loved you more than just 'enough', 'Gina. I still feel it today, after all this time apart. I know I needed time to figure out what was really important to me, and I'm sorry it took me so long to figure out it was you and Henry, together forever."

Regina's mouth drops open at Emma's mouth. She tries to say something but nothing comes out.

"I'm sorry to be dropping all of this on you right now, but… I had to get it off my chest. I understand you've moved on, but…"

"Don't." Regina interrupts her. "Don't try to back down now. Not when I want to tell you I want the same thing. At least, I want to try again."

Emma's smile as Regina speaks is brighter than the sun, and Regina can't help but chuckle lightly. Emma pulls her ex-wife-now-turned-probable-girlfriend in another hug, and Regina lets herself go against her before pressing a soft kiss to her lips.


	17. Sweets For My Sweet

_No curse AU. Originally posted as part of the Swan Queen Week of Summer 2017. Enjoy!_

* * *

The children's shrieks started as soon as the school's bell rang at 3:30 pm. Henry was one of the first students to leave his classroom. It was a Friday after all, and no matter how much he loved learning, he was in a hurry to get home and enjoy his weekend. He tossed his backpack over his shoulder and ran past his teacher, only offering Ms Blanchard a hurried goodbye. He hurried past the other classrooms and through the school yard, picking up his speed as he neared the main doors. He spotted his mom immediately; not only was she wearing a red dress under her dark trench coat, which made her very noticeable, but she was also waving at him. Henry blushed slightly – now that he was almost eleven, he preferred when his mom waited for him around the corner rather than right in front of his school – but he ran towards her nonetheless and even let her hug him in front of everyone.

After the usual "how was your day?" and "do you have a lot of homework?", the two of them started walking towards home. The weather was still great despite it being already late October, so Regina insisted they walked home whenever it was possible.

As they turned onto a new block, Henry inhaled deeply. They were nearing a little bakery where everything always seemed so delicious and the shop keeper was always giving him bright smiles, but Regina never had any cash on her and so she never bought her son anything. Henry had such a sweet tooth he kept giving his mom his best puppy eyes every day, in the hopes that she would start remembering to carry some cash with her, but she never did.

Henry tried his luck that day too but Regina, as usual, gently patted her shoulder and apologized for not having any cash. "We'll go another time, Henry" she said.

Henry looked up and met the shop keeper's eyes through the window. He shrugged sadly, like he always did, and he expected her to do the same in response. But that day, she pointed to a new little sign in the window: "Credits card now accepted starting at $1".

Henry immediately grabbed his mom's arm.

"Mom, look!" He exclaimed excitably. "You can pay with your card! Can we go, oh pleaaaaase? I'll never ask for anything ever again!"

Regina snorted and Henry offered her a sorry smile, as they both knew Henry was being overly dramatic and would probably start asking for something else as soon as a new idea crossed his mind. Still, Regina gave in in front of her son's adorable pout; she'd never been too good at telling him no.

They entered the bakery, and the shop turned out to be as lovely on the inside as it looked on the outside. There were pastries and other treats everywhere you looked, and the room was decorated with a lot of taste.

"Hey, welcome to Ashley and Emma's! I'm Emma. What can I do for you?"

Henry walked up to the counter, his eyes as wide as saucers and a giant smile on his face.

"Hi! I – I'd like… Maybe… Everything looks so good! – Okay… I'll take… A cinnamon bun!"

"A cinnamon bun for the kid! And for you, Ma'am?" Emma had a nice, friendly voice, and an equally pretty smile.

"I'll take one of your muffins, please, Miss Swan." Henry wondered for a second how him mom knew Emma's last name, but then he figured that, as mayor, she was bound to know pretty much everyone in Storybrooke.

"And a muffin for Mayor Mills." Emma gave Regina an even brighter smile, and Henry arched an eyebrow as he saw his mom return the smile. He'd never seen her smile like this at anyone: she looked oddly pleased with herself, and yet slightly embarrassed at the same time, and Henry wasn't sure what to do with it.

Emma put their pastries in a paper bag and handed it to Henry over the counter.

"I've put in an extra bear claw for you, kid. We've been trying to improve our recipe, so don't hesitate to tell me what you think about it, okay?" Emma winked at him as she said that, and Henry's mouth started watering.

Regina paid their order; she tried to convince Emma to let her pay for the bear claw, but Emma insisted it was on the house. Henry observed the two women as they interacted, and he became even more puzzled: they were both eyeing each other intensively and they both sounded incredibly velvety – Henry wasn't sure it was an appropriate word, but it would have to do.

"So, Miss Swan, I've seen you made an appointment to see me on Monday? I guess I'll see you then."

"Oh, yeah. I've been thinking we could start delivering the pastries, so we'll need a car and someone to drive it, but also some kind of garage to park the car. I wanted to ask you if we could build one next to this building here. I've prepared the file with all the paper work, I'll bring it to you on Monday." Emma sounded… seductive? Henry wasn't sure if he could trust himself on this.

"I'm sure we'll find a solution that'll work for you, Miss Swan." Okay, now Henry was _certain_ his mom was flirting, and he was starting to get uncomfortable.

They bid Emma goodbye and started walking back home in a comfortable silence, Henry still holding the bag of pastries. After a few quiet minutes, Henry felt a question burn his tongue.

"How long have you known Emma?"

"I know everyone in town, Henry, especially people who run businesses. I guess I've known Miss Swan when she arrived, a couple years ago. Why that?"

"Do you know her _well_? Are you friends or something?"

"No, why are you asking? I see her every once in a while, not that it's any of your business." As she said that, Regina ruffled her son's hair.

"It's just that you both look like you could really get along." Henry was trying to play innocent but, judging by Regina's embarrassed look, he probably hadn't been too subtle. "Anyway, it was very nice of Emma to give us the extra bear claw. Everything looks so delicious, I'm sure you can tell her on Monday that the pastries were to die for!"

With that, Henry dove his hand into the paper bag to grab his cinnamon bun and hungrily bit into it, under his mother's amused smile. They didn't speak any more about Emma that evening, but Henry could swear he heard Regina hum "Sweets for my sweet" a few times that evening. Each time he did, he had to smile uncontrollably: not matter how awkward it could be, it was still funny and cute to see his mother crushing on someone.


	18. Game, Set and Match

_No curse AU and canon divergent for very obvious reasons. Originally posted as part of the Swan Queen Week of Summer 2017. Enjoy!_

* * *

" _Girlfriend wanted! Help me find my mom a girlfriend. She's 30 years old, pretty, athletic and funny. She loves comic books, sports and good food, as well as gardening and playing the guitar. She's a very enthusiastic and outgoing person; she can put anyone in a good mood. We're looking for someone about her age, with a lot of personality (my mom hates pushovers) and a nice smile (it helps), ideally someone who can share some hobbies with her or introduce her to new activities. Only serious candidates must apply, we're looking for something long-term. Must be okay with children (12 year-old boy, aka me). Of course, applicants with children are more than welcome. Contact: Henry Swan, 7_ _th_ _grade. Come find me before homeroom (room B11), at lunch or text my number below."_

Arabella Mills had first laughed when she'd seen this ad in the school's newspaper. She'd thought it was a pretty desperate move, but now that she'd thought about it some more, it wasn't as silly as she once thought. She didn't really know Henry Swan - they'd only shared an English class the previous year and she'd barely spoken to him – but she had to admit it was sort of courageous to put himself out there like that. And she would be lying if she said her mom wasn't getting lonely. So she'd given it some thought, and she'd come to the conclusion that maybe her mom could get along with Henry's mom, or at least they could give it a try. That's why she'd texted Henry and they'd set up a meeting after class to discuss it.

Arabella spotted Henry from afar. She waved at him and he waved back. They greeted each other by the bike rack and quickly got to the heart of the matter.

"So, why do you think your mom would be a good match for mine?" Henry asked. He was still dumbfounded that someone had answered his ad.

"My mom hates boring people, and your mom seemed the exact opposite of that."

"What's your mom like?"

"She's beautiful _and_ very clever. She likes reading and cooking… Swimming… Horseback riding, too, she won many championships when she was young… She loves music, too; I think she's a great singer, but she's a bit shy about it. Here, I brought a picture." Arabella shuffled a bit through her backpack before taking out a small picture of her mom and herself. "It was taken in our garden, in front of mom's apple tree. Mom's really proud of that tree, she's been growing it since she moved into our house, before I was born. She makes delicious pies and cider with our apples." Arabella handed the picture to Henry so he could look at it in greater detail. Arabella hadn't lied; her mom was really beautiful and – Henry was very pleased by that – she had a gorgeous smile.

"Do you have a picture of your mom, maybe?" Arabella asked. Henry dug out his cell phone, pulled up the picture and handed it to her without a word, still studying the features of Arabella's mom.

Arabella studied the picture in great detail too. Henry and his mother were both laughing and holding each other tight. Henry's mom looked young and carefree, and she had this little something that made her look adventurous – something Arabella's mom would like. After a few more minutes of staring in silence, Henry and Arabella eventually exchanged back the pictures.

"Your mom looks nice, yeah." Henry finally said. Arabella arched an eyebrow and he knew he'd made a mistake. "I mean, she looks great, and she sounds great too. I think she could get along well with my mom. Her name's Emma, by the way."

"My mom's name is Regina."

"And are you sure your mom is looking for someone?" Henry wanted to be sure Arabella was really serious about all of this before they got even further.

"Are you?"

Henry smiled at Arabella's answer.

"I'm pretty sure, yeah. She's been alone for a while and I think she'd like to have an adult to talk to. Not that I'm not awesome in my own way, but I have the feeling she'd like to date again. She broke up with my dad before I was born, and she's never had any real girlfriend ever since. She's been on a few dates but nothing more."

"It's basically the same story with my mom, except my dad died and I'm not even sure she's even gone to more than one date with the same person. I know she's lonely, and I'm almost certain she's moved on. Don't get me wrong, I guess I love my dad, but… it's been over 12 years and my mom deserves better."

Henry nodded at that. If someone could understand what it was like to wish their parent would meet someone amazing to fill the void in their heart, it was him.

"Alright. So, when do we organize the meeting?"

A week later, Henry and Arabella had pretexted a study date to get their moms together. Regina had agreed that Henry could come over and Emma had even insisted to drive him. Their plan to get them to meet had worked perfectly and they couldn't wait to see the rest of their plan unfold: they would go to the kitchen to "work" while Regina would almost certainly offer Emma something to drink and they would start talking; then, they'd only have to wait for the sparks to fly between them. It was almost foul-proof and both youngsters were quite proud of themselves.

When Henry and Emma arrived, Arabella made sure to let her mom answer the door. Regina greeted mother and son with a large smile and invited Emma in as well as Henry. Regina and Emma made small talk for a few moments, each of them smiling from ear to ear. While the two kids went to the kitchen, Regina invited Emma to taste their apple cider and Emma accepted without hesitation – the plan had worked! The kids sneaked a look through the kitchen door that they'd left ajar on purpose. Regina and Emma were discussing the blossoming friendship between their children and laughing every once in a while. It had to be a good thing.

"I think it's great they became friends on their own. It makes everything much easier." Emma said, gratefully accepting the glass Regina was handing her.

"Oh, I think they have something in mind. At least Arabella does. She's been _very_ keen on having Henry over and having the two of us meet, and she kept talking about what Henry had told her about you."

"Oh, they are definitely trying to parent trap us! Henry wasn't exactly subtle about it either. He came home from school talking about this study date and insisting you were a great cook without even catching his breath in between."

Both women laughed and the youngsters looked at each other dejectedly.

"We should tell them soon, don't you think? Before they try setting us up with someone else?" Regina asked.

"I think you're right; it's probably time." As she answered, Emma took a step forward and came to gently kiss Regina on the lips.

Astonished, Henry and Arabella went to sit at the kitchen table.

"How were we so wrong? How did we not see it? How could we _fail_ so miserably?" Henry asked, laying his head on the table in despair.

"We certainly didn't fail!" Arabella sounded indignant. She straightened up in her chair. "We saw they were a great match for each other, didn't we? We just didn't know they'd already… matched?"

They looked at each other for a split second before bursting in laughter.

"Well, anyway, I'm glad it's working out between them. Your mom seems nice, and I think you and I should get along just fine. And your right, we did see their potential." Henry winked as he finished his sentence.

"Oh, Henry, we're visionaries!" Arabella exclaimed, sending both of them into another fit of giggles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed these stories :)   
> I'm marking this as complete, but I might come back if inspiration strikes again. If there's some type of AU you'd like to read, feel free to drop ideas in the comments section!


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